Diethylene Glycol Dinitrate

(diglycol dinitrate), a secondary explosive; its structural formula is

Diethylene glycol dinitrate is a colorless, syrupy liquid with a density of 1,390 kg/m³. It crystallizes in two modifications: a stable one with a freezing point of 2° C and a labile one with a freezing point of -10.9° C. Almost insoluble in water, it is readily soluble in acetone, methyl alcohol, nitroglycol, and nitroglycerine; it plasticizes nitrocellulose. Its heat of explosion (-4.18 megajoules per kilogram) is that of trinitrotoluene. Diethylene glycol dinitrate is made by esterifying diethylene glycol with a mixture of sulfuric and nitric acids. Mixed with nitroglycerine, it is used to make dynamite, ballistic powders, and other explosives.