[ExI] Spirited molecules

[Brent Neal]

On 5 Dec, 2009, at 9:35, Anders Sandberg wrote:

> David:
>> How about a ring structure :
>>
>> N=C=N-N=N- (back to the first N)
>
> I doubt it, since the azide group is linear and the cyanide group is  
> also linear. Only one angle that can bend.
>


Actually, that molecule is ok. Its tetrazole. If you cyclize those 3  
nitrogens, they no longer need to be linear (check the  
hybridization.)  Not like those molecules are that stable, either.  
Most tetrazoles have commercial uses as chemical blowing agents -  
i.e., you compound them into plastics, and at a certain temperature  
that is higher than the polymer melt temperature, they decompose (NOT  
explosively, and the resulting nitrogen gases foam the plastic.  My  
personal favorite, 5-phenyl-1H-tetrazole, has an aromatic ring hanging  
off the lone carbon in the tetrazole ring. That stabilizes the  
structure a bit, pushing the decomposition temperature up to around  
230 C. Things like n-butyl tetrazoles decomp at much lower temperatures.

Cheers,

B



--
Brent Neal, Ph.D.
http://brentn.freeshell.org
<brentn at freeshell.org>