Energetic Salts of Low-Symmetry Methylated 5-Aminotetrazoles

Ionic salts containing the novel 5 -ammo- 2 -methyl- and 5-amino-1,3-dimethyltetrazolium cations with energetic anions (perchlorate, nitrate, azide and dinitramide) have been synthesized in high yields and purities and fully characterized. A full structural description by spectroscopic methods (vibrational and N-15 NMR spectroscopy) and X-ray analysis is given. Unexpectedly, salts based on the asymmetric 5-amino-1,3-dimethyltetrazolium cation have higher densities than analogue compounds containing the isomeric 5-amino-1,4-dimethyltetrazolium cation, regardless of the lower symmetry of the former. This can be attributed to secondary interactions between the cation and anion and is reflected in the higher detonation parameters of the new compounds, which represent a new class of nitrogen-rich, high-performing materials with low sensitivity and good potential for energetic applications. (C) Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009)