tetryl

American  

[te-tril] / ˈtɛ trɪl /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a yellow, crystalline, water-insoluble solid, C 7 H 5 N 5 O 8 , used as a chemical indicator and as a detonator and bursting charge in small-caliber shells.

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tetryl British  

/ ˈtɛtrɪl /

noun

1. Also called: nitramine.  a yellow crystalline explosive solid used in detonators; trinitrophenylmethylnitramine. Formula: (NO 2 ) 3 C 6 H 2 N(NO 2 )CH 3

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Etymology

Origin of tetryl

First recorded in 1855–60; tetr- + -yl

Example Sentences

"Canary" is the name for an explosive-powder worker whose hair and skin have become red-yellow from tetryl.

From Time Magazine Archive

Most of the buildings within that restricted area, while in reality enormous, were dwarfed by the vast spaces separating them; for safety-distances are not small when TNT and tetryl by the ton are involved.

From Triplanetary by Smith, E. E. (Edward Elmer)

Favier Explosives: mixtures in varying proportions containing ammonium nitrate, nitronaphthalene, paraffin, and resin; higher nitrated naphthalenes, potassium nitrate, and tetryl may be present.

From The New Gresham Encyclopedia Volume 4, Part 3: Estremoz to Felspar by Various

After nitration the yellow tetryl separates out, and is filtered off and water-washed till free from acid.

From The New Gresham Encyclopedia Volume 4, Part 3: Estremoz to Felspar by Various

At this there was a celebration, led by "Blondie" Wanacek, a sulphuric-acid expert handling tetryl on the Two.

From Triplanetary by Smith, E. E. (Edward Elmer)