Stability and Degradation Processes of Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate (PETN) on Metal Oxide Surfaces

The chemical stability of pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) when placed in physical contact with metal oxides is investigated. In this study, PETN was placed on the surfaces of a range of microcrystalline metal oxides including MnO2, CuO, MoO3, WO3, Bi2O3, SnO2, and Fe2O3 in coverages of 1–3.5 monolayers by a wet impregnation technique. Samples were then placed in a controlled temperature environment at 50°C and checked periodically for the presence of decomposition products using liquid chromatography. PETN proved to be inert over all of the oxides except MoO3, which showed the relatively rapid evolution of a brown gas over a period of 48 h. Analysis of the evolved gas indicated that it is primarily NO2 along with N2O4, N2O, and CO2.