1,2,4-Butanetriol trinitrate (BTTN), also called butanetriol trinitrate, is an important military

propellant A propellant (or propellent) is a mass that is expelled or expanded in such a way as to create a thrust or another motive force in accordance with Newton's third law of motion, and "propel" a vehicle, projectile, or fluid payload. In vehicle ...

. It is a colorless to brown explosive liquid. BTTN is used as a

in virtually all single-stage

missile A missile is an airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight aided usually by a propellant, jet engine or rocket motor. Historically, 'missile' referred to any projectile that is thrown, shot or propelled towards a target; this ...

s used by the United States, including the Hellfire. It is less volatile, less sensitive to shock, and more thermally stable than

nitroglycerine Nitroglycerin (NG) (alternative spelling nitroglycerine), also known as trinitroglycerol (TNG), nitro, glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), or 1,2,3-trinitroxypropane, is a dense, colorless or pale yellow, oily, explosive liquid most commonly produced by ...

, for which it is a promising replacement. BTTN as a propellant is often used in a mixture with nitroglycerin. The mixture can be made by co-nitration of butanetriol and

glycerol Glycerol () is a simple triol compound. It is a colorless, odorless, sweet-tasting, viscous liquid. The glycerol backbone is found in lipids known as glycerides. It is also widely used as a sweetener in the food industry and as a humectant in pha ...

. BTTN is also used as a

plasticizer A plasticizer ( UK: plasticiser) is a substance that is added to a material to make it softer and more flexible, to increase its plasticity, to decrease its viscosity, and/or to decrease friction during its handling in manufacture. Plasticizer ...

in some

nitrocellulose Nitrocellulose (also known as cellulose nitrate, flash paper, flash cotton, guncotton, pyroxylin and flash string, depending on form) is a highly flammable compound formed by nitrating cellulose through exposure to a mixture of nitric acid and ...

-based propellants. BTTN is manufactured by nitration of

1,2,4-butanetriol 1,2,4-Butanetriol is an organic compound with the formula . It is an colorless, odorless, hygroscopic, oily liquid. Containing three alcohol groups, it is classified as a polyol, similar to glycerol and erythritol. It is chiral. Uses 1,2,4-Butan ...

Biotechnological Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services. Specialists in the field are kn ...

manufacture of butanetriol is under intensive research.

References

External links

WebBook page for 1,2,4-Butanetriol, trinitrate
{{DEFAULTSORT:Butanetriol trinitrate, 1,2,4- Nitrate esters Explosive chemicals Liquid explosives Propellants