Diethylene glycol dinitrate

Diethylene glycol dinitrate is a nitrated alcohol ester produced by the action of concentrated nitric acid, normally admixed with an excess of strong sulfuric acid as a dehydrating agent, upon diethylene glycol.

Diethylene glycol dinitrate is a colorless, odorless, viscous, oily liquid, with specific gravity 1.4092 at 0 °C and 1.3846 at 20 °C; freezing point −11.5 °C under a standard atmosphere; the theoretical boiling point of approximately 197 °C difficult to confirm as the compound begins to decompose and spontaneously inflames at or slightly below this temperature. Partial pressure is reported as 0.007 mmHg (930 mPa) at 22.4 °C and 760 mmHg (101 kPa). It is readily miscible in most non-polar solvents, methanol, and cold acetic acid. Solubility in water (4.1 g/L at 24 °C) and ethanol is very low. While chemically similar to a number of powerful high explosives, pure diethylene glycol dinitrate is extremely hard to initiate and will not propagate a detonation wave. It inflames only with difficulty (requiring localized heating to decomposition point) unless first atomized, and burns placidly even in quantity.