Nitramino‐ and Dinitromethyl‐Substituted 1,2,4‐Triazole Derivatives as High‐Performance Energetic Materials

Single Step Synthesis of gem-Dinitro Methyl-1,2,4-triazole and Its Hydroxylamine Salt: An Alternative to the FOX-7 and Other Benchmark Explosives

gem-Dinitro methyl based high-energy-density material 5-(dinitromethylene)-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazole (2) and its hydroxylamine salt (4) were synthesized for the first time in a single step and characterized. Further, the structure of 2 was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) studies. Interestengly, both the compounds show excellent density (> 1.83 g cm-3), detonation velocity (> 8700 m s-1), pressure (> 30 GPa) and are insensitive toward mechanical stimuli such as impact and friction sensitivity. Considering their synthetic fesibility and balanced energetic performance, compounds 2 and 4 show future prospects as potential next-generation energetic materials for the replacenent of many presently used benchmark high energy density materials such as RDX, FOX-7 and highly insensitive H-FOX.

Coordinative Combination of Nitroamine and Gem-Dinitromethyl with Fused Ring for Enhanced Oxygen Balances and Detonation Properties

Oxygen balance and heat of formation are closely related to the nitrogen and oxygen content in a molecule and have a significant effect on the detonation performance of energetic materials. Here a new family of 1,2,4-triazolo [4,3-b][1,2,4,5]-tetrazine containing gem-dinitromethyl and nitroamine with high nitrogen-oxygen content was synthesized and characterized. Moreover, the structure of the guanidine salt (3) and TATOT salt (4) were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The nitrogen and oxygen content of ammonium salt 2 reached 82.5%, with a high density (1.805 g cm^-3) and high detonation properties (D = 8900 m s^-1; P = 32.4 GPa), which were similar to those of RDX.

Nitrogen-Rich Tetrazolo[1,5-b]pyridazine: Promising Building Block for Advanced Energetic Materials

Two metal-free explosives, tetrazolo[1,5-b]pyridazine-containing molecules [6-azido-8-nitrotetrazolo[1,5-b]pyridazine-7-amine (3at) and 8-nitrotetrazolo[1,5-b]pyridazine-6,7-diamine (6)], were obtained via straightforward two-step synthetic routes from commercially available reagents. Compound 3at displays an excellent detonation performance (D_v = 8746 m s^-1 and P = 31.5 GPa) that is superior to commercial primary explosives such as lead azide and diazodinitrophenol (DDNP). Compound 6 has superior thermal stability, remarkable insensitivity, and good detonation performance, strongly suggesting it as an acceptable secondary explosive. The initiating ability of compound 3at has been tested by detonating 500 mg of RDX with a surprisingly low minimum primary charge of 40 mg. The extraordinary initiating power surpasses conventional primary explosives, such as commercial DDNP (70 mg) and reported 6-nitro-7-azido-pyrazol[3,4-d][1,2,3]triazine-2-oxide (ICM-103) (60 mg). The outstanding detonation power of 3at contributes to its future prospects as a promising green primary explosive. In addition, the environmentally benign methodology for the synthesis of 3at effectively shortens the time from laboratory-scale research to practical applications.

Nitroacetonitrile as a versatile precursor in energetic materials synthesis

Nitroacetonitrile is the simplest α-nitronitrile; it possesses a single central carbon attached to two strong electronegative, electron-withdrawing groups allowing extensive chemistry through the active methylene center. Free nitroacetonitrile has purification and stability issues, however stable salts of nitroacetonitrile possess the same reactivity as the free acid and are much more stable. Nitroacetonitrile serves as a versatile synthetic precursor in the formation of heterocyclic and polyfunctional aliphatic products and can allow for straightforward conversion to amino, acyl, and other functional groups. A main advantage of using nitroacetonitrile in the formation of heterocyclic-based energetics is its ability to add vicinal amino and nitro moieties onto fused ring structures, a common structural motif in insensitive energetic materials. In this minireview we discuss the preparation of nitroacetonitrile and its stable salts, as well as discuss the range of energetic materials this versatile precursor has found use in.

Nitroacetonitrile is a useful synthetic precursor capable of participating in a wide range of reactions and enables the simple synthesis of annulated heterocyclic systems which are rapidly becoming promising new energetic materials.

Synthesis and Properties of Energetic Hydrazinium 5-Nitro-3-dinitromethyl-2H-pyrazole by Unexpected Isomerization of N-Nitropyrazole

A new energetic salt, hydrazinium 5-nitro-3-dinitromethyl-2H-pyrazole, was synthesized using 1-nitro-3-trinitromethylpyrazole and hydrazine as raw materials and fully characterized by IR and NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and X-ray crystallography. The isomerization of N-nitropyrazole in the reaction condition was first reported and the possible mechanism was explained by the density functional theory method. The salt has good density, high positive enthalpy of formation superior to those of the RDX and HMX, and good detonation properties comparable to those of RDX. By denitration and isomerization reactions, the salt gains a better thermal stability and lower sensitivity toward impact and friction compared with its parent compound. Based on an overall energetic evaluation, the salt has a promising future as an alternative explosive. The research also contributes to the synthesis and application of polynitro-substituted N-heterocyclic compounds as energetic materials.

Comparative Theoretical Studies on a Series of Novel Energetic Salts Composed of 4,8-Dihydrodifurazano[3,4-b,e]pyrazine-based Anions and Ammonium-based Cations

4,8-Dihydrodifurazano[3,4-b,e]pyrazine (DFP) is one kind of parent compound for the synthesis of various promising difurazanopyrazine derivatives. In this paper, eleven series of energetic salts composed of 4,8-dihydrodifurazano[3,4-b,e]pyrazine-based anions and ammonium-based cations were designed. Their densities, heats of formation, energetic properties, impact sensitivity, and thermodynamics of formation were studied and compared based on density functional theory and volume-based thermodynamics method. Results show that ammonium and hydroxylammonium salts exhibit higher densities and more excellent detonation performance than guanidinium and triaminoguanidinium salts. Therein, the substitution with electron-withdrawing groups (–NO₂, –CH₂NF₂, –CH₂ONO₂, –C(NO₂)₃, –CH₂N₃) contributes to enhancing the densities, heats of formation, and detonation properties of the title salts, and the substitution of –C(NO₂)₃ features the best performance. Incorporating N–O oxidation bond to difurazano[3,4-b,e]pyrazine anion gives a rise to the detonation performance of the title salts, while increasing their impact sensitivity meanwhile. Importantly, triaminoguanidinium 4,8-dihydrodifurazano[3,4-b,e]pyrazine (J4) has been successfully synthesized. The experimentally determined density and H₅₀ value of J4 are 1.602 g/cm³ and higher than 112 cm, which are consistent with theoretical values, supporting the reliability of calculation methods. J4 proves to be a thermally stable and energetic explosive with decomposition peak temperature of 216.7 °C, detonation velocity 7732 m/s, and detonation pressure 25.42 GPa, respectively. These results confirm that the derivative work in furazanopyrazine compounds is an effective strategy to design and screen out potential candidates for high-performance energetic salts.

New green energetic materials based on unsymmetrically substituted pyrazole-tetrazines and their hydroperchlorates

Some novel metal-free energetic materials were synthesized. Structural diversification of substituted tetrazines affects their physical and explosive properties making them have potential applications as green energetic materials.

Energetic propane-1,3-diaminium and butane-1,4-diaminium salts of N,N'-dinitroethylenediazanide: syntheses, crystal structures and thermal properties

The acidity of the amine H atoms and the consequent salt formation ability of ethylenedinitramine (EDNA) were analyzed in an attempt to improve the thermal stability of EDNA. Two short-chain alkanediamine bases, namely propane-1,3-diamine and butane-1,4-diamine, were chosen for this purpose. The resulting salts, namely propane-1,3-diaminium N,N'-dinitroethylenediazanide, C₃H₁₂N₂²⁺·C₂H₄N₄O₄^2-, and butane-1,4-diaminium N,N'-dinitroethylenediazanide, C₄H₁₄N₂²⁺·C₂H₄N₄O₄^2-, crystallize in the orthorhombic space group Pbca and the monoclinic space group P2₁/n, respectively. The resulting salts display extensive hydrogen-bonding networks because of the presence of ammonium and diazenide ions in the crystal lattice. This results in an enhanced thermal stability and raises the thermal decomposition temperatures to 202 and 221 °C compared to 180 °C for EDNA. The extensive hydrogen bonding present also plays a crucial role in lowering the sensitivity to impact of these energetic salts.

Energetic furazan-triazole hybrid with dinitromethyl and nitramino groups: decreasing sensitivity via the formation of a planar anion

Enlarging the skeleton containing two heterocyclic five-membered rings can decrease sensitivity in comparison with most highly nitro-functionalized mono nitrogen-rich rings.

Efficient synthesis of N-methyltetranitropyrrole: A stable, insensitive and high energy melt-castable material

1-Methyl-2,3,4,5-tetranitropyrrole is the first pyrrole based stable and insensitive high energy density material at par or slightly better than RDX.

Synthesis and properties of insensitive [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-b]-1,2,4,5-tetrazine explosives

An insensitive explosive 3-nitro[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-b]1,2,4,5-tetrazin-6-amine (TTNA) was prepared and fully structurally characterized with good detonation parameters (T_d = 213 °C; P = 33.9 GPa; D = 8953 m s⁻¹, IS > 40 J, and FS > 360 N).