PETN explosive found in UP Assembly: All you need to know about it

Lucknow : In Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Friday, a packet of white powder, identified as explosive, was recovered by the security officials. With a weight of nearly 150 gms, the packet was placed under the seat of Samajwadi Party MLA Mano Pandey.

According to a report, Forensic team has identified the explosive powder as PETN (Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate). Addressing the assembly session on Friday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, "This is PETN, this is a dangerous substance. It will be revealed who is behind this. Police verification should be conducted of every security personnel."

Here is all you need to know about PETN:

# What is it? Pentaerythritol tetranitrate, or PETN, is a highly explosive organic compound belonging to the same chemical family as nitroglycerin and nitrocellulose.

# How it is dangerous – PETN is a sensitive compound that is likely to explode under appropriate mechanical shock.

# History - PETN was first prepared and patented in 1894 by the explosives manufacturer Rheinisch-Westfalische Sprengstoff in Germany. It was introduced as a commercial explosive after World War I.

# Where it is used? The deadly explosive is valued in both military and civilian applications for its shattering force and efficiency. Mixed with the extremely powerful compound RDX in an appropriate solvent, PETN forms a plastic explosive mixture known as Semtex.