Azidoformamidinium and 5-aminotetrazolium dinitramide—two highly energetic isomers with a balanced oxygen content

Abstract

The highly energetic isomers azidoformamidinium dinitramide (1) and 5-aminotetrazolium dinitramide (2) were synthesized by the reaction of potassium dinitramide and azidoformamidinium perchlorate and 5-aminotetrazolium perchlorate, respectively. Both compounds are characterized by an oxygen balance of Ω = 0. In addition, 1H-tetrazolium dinitramide (3) and 2-methyl-5-aminotetrazolium dinitramide (4) were synthesized using 1H-tetrazolium perchlorate (5) and 2-methyl-5-aminotetrazolium perchlorate. A full characterization of the chemical properties (single-crystal X-ray diffraction, IR and Raman spectroscopy, multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and mass spectrometry) as well as of the energetic characteristics is given in this work. The heats of formation were calculated (CBS-4M) in an extensive computational study. The detonation parameters of compounds 1–4 were computed using the EXPLO5 software resulting in auspicious values for potential applications as high explosives. For 2 this was confirmed by a “Koenen” steel sleeve test using a critical diameter of 10 mm. In addition, the sensitivities were tested using the BAM drop hammer, BAM friction tester and an electrical spark device. Finally, the synthesis and characterization, including the X-ray structure of the highly hygroscopic 1H-tetrazolium perchlorate (5), is given in this work.