Tetrazene is produced by BÖRÜ Defense in Karatay/Konya, TÜRKİYE and supplied to defence industry customers around the world. Each shipment leaves with its certificate of analysis and safety data sheet, and export paperwork is arranged for the country of destination.

What is Tetrazene?

Tetrazene is a chemical compound with the molecular formula H₂NN=NNH₂. It is a colorless explosive material. An analogue is the organosilicon derivative (tms)₂NN=NN(tms)₂ where tms is trimethylsilyl. Isomeric with tetrazine is ammonium azide.

Tetrazene explosive, commonly known simply as tetrazene, is used for sensitization of priming compositions.

Research
Development
Manufacturing

Properties

Tetrazene has eleven isomers. The most stable of these is the straight-chain 2-tetrazene (H₂-NN=N-NH₂), having a standard heat of formation at 301.3 kJ/mol. The eleven isomers can be arranged into three groups: straight-chain tetrazenes, four-membered cyclotetrazane, and three-membered cyclotriazanes. Each straight-chain tetrazene isomer possesses one N=N double bond and two N-N single bonds. Tautomerizations do occur between the isomers. The ionic compound ammonium azide is also a constitutional isomer of tetrazene.

Tetrazene Manufacturer

Why choose us for tetrazene?

Defence-Grade Laboratory
Experience
High Quality
Right on Time

History of Tetrazene

The substance used in ammunition primers under the name tetrazene, also written tetracene, is a nitrogen-rich organic compound that contains a tetrazole ring. It should not be confused with the simple hydride described above, nor with the hydrocarbon called tetracene. It was first reported in 1910 by the German chemists Hofmann and Roth. Its exact molecular structure stayed under discussion for decades and was settled only much later by X-ray crystallography.

Practical interest began in the 1920s, when German ammunition makers were looking for primers free of mercury fulminate and of corrosive chlorate residues. Tetrazene was adopted alongside lead styphnate in these new non-corrosive primers, which spread through sporting and military ammunition over the following decades. It has remained a standard primer ingredient ever since.

What are the Uses of Tetrazene?

Tetrazene is used almost exclusively as a minor ingredient of primer compositions. It is not a main charge and it is not used on its own. Its role is to help the primer respond reliably to the blow of a firing pin or the prick of a stab needle.

On the defence side it is found in the percussion primers of small-arms and medium-calibre cartridges, in the stab and percussion elements of fuzes, and in cartridge-actuated devices. On the civilian side the same type of primer is used in hunting and sporting ammunition, both centrefire and rimfire, and in the industrial cartridges that drive powder-actuated fastening tools. It also appears in many of the lead-free primer types developed for indoor shooting ranges, where it is combined with initiating substances that contain no lead.

Advantages of Tetrazene

It contains no mercury, which was the main reason for its adoption when the industry moved away from mercury fulminate.
It belongs to the non-corrosive primer family, which leaves no chloride salts in the barrel, so firearms suffer far less rusting than they did with older chlorate primers.
Only a small share is needed in a composition to obtain a reliable percussion response, so consumption per primer is low.
It is an organic compound free of lead, and it works both with lead styphnate and with many lead-free primer systems.
Nearly a century of continuous use means its behaviour is well documented, and it is covered by established military and industrial specifications.

Disadvantages of Tetrazene

It is a primary explosive, sensitive to impact, friction, heat and static electricity, so it can be handled only in licensed facilities with specialised safety measures.
Its thermal stability is limited. It decomposes at lower temperatures than other primer ingredients, which restricts its use in hot environments and has prompted research into replacements.
It also breaks down on prolonged contact with hot water, so its resistance to moisture at elevated temperature is poor.
On its own it is a weak initiator, which leaves it with no real use outside primer mixtures.
Transport and storage are strictly regulated. It is classed as a Class 1 dangerous good, is normally shipped wetted, and is subject to export licensing and end-user controls.
Toxicological data are limited, so it must be handled with full precautions, and waste has to be destroyed by specialists rather than discarded.

Request a quotation

Page last reviewed:2026-09-17

Tetrazene Manufacturer & Supplier