Synthesis and characterization of 1,1′-azobis(5-methyltetrazole)

A high-nitrogen compound (N-10 structure), 1,1'-azobis(5-methyltetrazole) which is relatively stable, was obtained by azo coupling reactions with three different oxidants such as trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCICA), sodium dichloroisocyanurate (SDIC) and tert-butyl hypochlorite (t-BuOCl). In particular, TCICA has been used for the first time to oxidize N-NH2 to the N-N=N-N linkage. The structural elucidation of the title compound was made by spectral and X-ray crystallographic analyses. The new N-10 linkage containing compound exhibits both relative thermal stability and physical stability.