Synthesis and Characterization of 3,3′-Bis(Dinitromethyl)-5,5′-Azo-1H-1,2,4-Triazole

The synthesis of 3,3'-bis(dinitromethyl)-5,5'-azo-1H-1,2,4-triazole (5) using the readily available starting material 2-(5-amino-1H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl) acetic acid (1) is described. All compounds were characterized by means of NMR, IR, and Raman spectroscopy. The energetic compound 5 was additionally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and DSC measurements. The sensitivities towards impact, friction and electrical discharge were determined. In addition, detonation parameters (e.g. heat of explosion, detonation velocity) of the target compound were computed using the EXPLO5 code based on the calculated (CBS-4M) heat of formation and X-ray density.