Pentaerythritol is mainly used in the coating industry to make alkyd resin coatings, which can improve the hardness, gloss and durability of the coating film. It is also used as a raw material for rosin resins required by paints, varnishes and printing inks, and can be used to make drying oils, smoldering paints and aviation lubricants. In addition, it is also used in the production of medicines and pesticides. The pentaerythritol molecule contains four equivalent hydroxymethyl groups and has a high degree of symmetry, so it is often used as a raw material for the preparation of multifunctional compounds. It can be nitrated to produce pentaerythritol tetranitrate, which is a strong explosive; esterification can produce pentaerythritol triacrylate, which is used as a coating. It can also be used as a flame retardant for adhesives, and can be combined with ammonium polyphosphate to obtain an intumescent flame retardant. Also used as a cross-linking agent for polyurethane to provide branched chains in polyurethane