Trinitromethyl-substituted 5-nitro- or 3-azo-1,2,4-triazoles: synthesis, characterization, and energetic properties.

Various new polynitro-1,2,4-triazoles containing a trinitromethyl group were synthesized by straightforward routes. These high nitrogen and oxygen-rich compounds were fully characterized using IR and multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, natural bonding orbital (NBO) analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and, in the case of 12, with single crystal X-ray structuring. The heats of formation for all compounds were calculated with Gaussian 03 (revision D.01) and then combined with experimentally determined densities to determine detonation pressures (P) and velocities (D) of the energetic materials (Cheetah 5.0). They exhibit high density, good thermal stability, acceptable oxygen balance, positive heat of formation, and excellent detonation properties, which, in some cases, are superior to those of TNT, RDX, and HMX.