Nitroguanidine - sometimes abbreviated NGu - is a colorless, crystalline solid that melts at 257 °C and decomposes at 254 °C.
[2] Nitroguanidine is used as an energetic material, i.e., propellant or high explosive, precursor for insecticides, and for other purposes.
Nitroguanidine has been in use since the 1930s as an ingredient in triple-base gun propellants in which it reduces flame temperature, muzzle flash, and erosion of the gun barrel but preserves chamber pressure due to high nitrogen content.
[5] The first triple-base propellant, featuring 20-25% of nitroguanidine and 30-45% nitroglycerine, was developed at the Dynami Nobel factory at Avigliana and patented by its director Dr. Modesto Abelli (1859-1911) in 1905.
Following several decades of debate, it could be confirmed by NMR spectroscopy, and both x-ray and neutron diffraction that nitroguanidine exclusively exists as the nitroimine tautomer both in solid state and solution.