The Preparation of Pentaerythritol

The quality, and in particular the stability, of PETN and Pentolite is adversely affected by the presence of impurities in the pentaerythritol used for the preparation of PETN. A description is given of the work directed toward the production of good quality pentaerythritol by variation in the experimental conditions and reactions used. Experiments on the yield of pentaerythritol have shown that the addition of the mixed aldehydes to the lime water results in a somewhat higher yield of PE, but that the quality of the product is lower. Aldol is preferred to acetaldehyde and crotonic aldehyde for ease of handling, and the yield obtained with acetaldehyde and aldol is greater than that obtained with crotonic aldehyde. The yield was found to be greater with paraformaldehyde than formalin although there were few differences with respect to quality.