Erythritol powdered or coarse (ETN)

Quote: Originally posted by golfpro

I have made ETN multiple times before and I've always got around the same amount of Erythritol TetraNitrate as Erythritol I used or in other words around a 45% yield, I am starting to think the Erythritol must be finely powdered in order to get a good yeild, I usually grind for a few minutes the erythritol down to a grainy powder w/ a mortar and pestle but never made the effort to make it into a fine powder. This would make sense seeing how the Erythritol doesn't dissolve well in sulfuric acid/nitric acid mix as far as I can see. I have tried using sulfuric acid/AN as well as sulfuric acid/HNO3, different temperatures, different amount of time etc. [Edited on 11-11-2013 by golfpro]

its defenitly better to use very fine powders...a really strange example is nitrating fructose...when the crystals are huge, then you can see, that the surface of them become slighly yellow when nitrating and the core stays white crystalline (unnitrated/undernitrated)...and the yield is horrible...

i've seen a patent that said that good results are able with the H2SO4/HNO3 version with 88% HNO3...so maybe use more H2SO4 when not having high concentrated HNO3 and boil the mixed acids after the nitration to get the H2SO4 back (without nitrated stuff left in there, of course )

another idea (carefull to handle and you should first look if there are patens that agrees with this) could be warming up (<35C) the nitration bath after all erythrol is in it...acids are "stronger" if they are warm....BUT first go and search if this way could be used !