Synthesis and characterization of the pentazolate anion cyclo-N5- in (N5)6(H3O)3(NH4)4Cl

Chong Zhang; Chengguo Sun; Bingcheng Hu; Chuanming Yu; Ming Lu

doi:10.1126/science.aah3840

Synthesis and characterization of the pentazolate anion cyclo-N5- in (N5)6(H3O)3(NH4)4Cl

Science. 2017 Jan 27;355(6323):374-376. doi: 10.1126/science.aah3840.

Authors

Chong Zhang¹, Chengguo Sun², Bingcheng Hu³, Chuanming Yu¹, Ming Lu³

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210094, China.
² School of Chemical Engineering, University of Science and Technology Liaoning, Anshan, Liaoning 114051, China.
³ School of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210094, China. hubc@njust.edu.cn luming@mail.njust.edu.cn.

PMID: 28126812
DOI: 10.1126/science.aah3840

Abstract

Pentazole (HN₅), an unstable molecular ring comprising five nitrogen atoms, has been of great interest to researchers for the better part of a century. We report the synthesis and characterization of the pentazolate anion stabilized in a (N₅)₆(H₃O)₃(NH₄)₄Cl salt. The anion was generated by direct cleavage of the C-N bond in a multisubstituted arylpentazole using m-chloroperbenzoic acid and ferrous bisglycinate. The structure was confirmed by single-crystal x-ray diffraction analysis, which highlighted stabilization of the cyclo-N₅- ring by chloride, ammonium, and hydronium. Thermal analysis indicated the stability of the salt below 117°C on the basis of thermogravimetry-measured onset decomposition temperature.