1,3-Bis(nitroimido)-1,2,3-triazolate anion, the N-nitroimide moiety, and the strategy of alternating positive and negative charges in the design of energetic materials.

This unique study reports on the 1,3-bis(nitroimido)-1,2,3-triazolate anion. This compound provides unique insight into both academic and practical considerations surrounding high-nitrogen systems. The bonding in this energetic anion can be represented multiple ways, one of which includes a chain of alternating positive/negative charges nine atoms long. The validity of this resonance structure is discussed in terms of experimental, computational, and valence bond results. The prepared materials based on this energetic anion were also characterized chemically (infrared, Raman, NMR, X-ray) and as high explosives in terms of their energetic performances (detonation velocity, pressure, etc.) and sensitivities (impact, friction, electrostatic), and the 1,3-bis(nitroimido)-1,2,3-triazolate anion is found to be very high performing with high thermal stabilities while being quite sensitive to mechanical stimuli.