pentaerythritol tetranitrate (petn), also known as pent, penta, ten, corpent, penthrite (or — rarely and primarily in german — as nitropenta) is one of the most powerful high explosives known. it has a relative effectiveness factor (r.e. factor) of 1.66. petn can be used as a plastic explosive. petn can also be use as a drug to treat certain heart conditions, such as angina pectoris. in this context, it helps widening blood vessels, which is known as vasodilatation. petn is among the most widely used substances for vasodilatation.