N ‐Acetonitrile Functionalized Nitropyrazoles: Precursors to Insensitive Asymmetric N ‐Methylene‐C Linked Azoles

Engaging Two Anions with Single Cation in Energetic Salts: Approach for Optimization of Oxygen Balance in Energetic Materials

The field of high energy density materials faces a long-standing challenge to achieve an optimum balance between energy and stability. While energetic salt formation via a combination of oxygen- and nitrogen-rich anions (providing energy) with nitrogen-containing cations (providing stability) has been a proven approach for improving physical stability, constraints such as lowering density and energetic performance remain unresolved. This can be addressed by utilizing oxygen-containing cations for salt formation. However, this approach is rarely explored because its synthesis is challenging. In this work, we have designed an oxygen-rich cationic precursor 2 by incorporating 4-amino-3,5-dinitropyrazole with 3,4-diaminotriazole via an N-methylene-C bridge. Further combination with energetic acids resulted in the formation of high-performing, physically stable energetic salts 3-10. The salts were found to be generally more energetic than the salts of respective energetic acids with previously reported cations and showed prominent improvement in physical stability with respect to their anionic precursors. All the compounds were thoroughly characterized through IR, NMR spectroscopy, HRMS, and elemental analysis. Salt 9 was confirmed through 15N NMR analysis, and salts 2 and 8 were confirmed through single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Additional analyses such as Hirshfeld surface analysis, noncovalent interaction (NCI) analysis, and electrostatic potential studies were also carried out to correlate the structure-property relationship.

N-Methylene-C-linked nitropyrazoles and 1,2,4-triazol-3-one: thermally stable energetic materials with reduced sensitivity

Recently, there has been a surge in research focusing on triazolone-based energetic materials, propelled by their remarkable properties such as good detonation performance as well as acceptable thermal and physical stability. In this work, a novel combination of the triazolone framework with dinitropyrazoles has been attained using the N-methylene-C-linked approach. Different substituents (NH2, NO2, N3, OH) were utilized on the dinitropyrazole moiety to obtain neutral energetic compounds 3-5 and 8. Furthermore, the hydroxy derivative (compound 8) facilitates the formation of energetic salts 9-13 to fine-tune the overall properties further. All the novel compounds 3-13 were thoroughly characterized by IR, multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), and elemental analysis. Compounds 3, 4, 8, and 10 were further confirmed via15N NMR spectroscopy. The structure of compounds 3 and 8 was also confirmed through single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. The majority of synthesized compounds showed good thermal stability as well as insensitivity toward external stimuli. Computational studies, including analyses such as Hirshfeld surface, non-covalent interaction, electrostatic potential surface, and HOMO-LUMO analysis, were conducted to examine the influence of substitution at the 4th position on the overall stability of compounds 3, 4, and 8.

Zwitterionic Energetic Materials: Synthesis, Structural Diversity and Energetic Properties

Zwitterionic compounds are an emergent class of energetic materials and have gained synthetic interest of many in the recent years. Due to their better packing efficiencies and strong inter/intramolecular electrostatic interactions, they often ensue superior energetic properties than their salt analogues. A systematic review from the perspective of design, synthesis, and physicochemical properties evaluation of the zwitterionic energetic materials is presented. Depending on the parent ring(s) used for the synthesis and the type of moieties bearing positive and negative charges, different classes of energetic materials, such as primary explosives, secondary explosives, heat resistant explosives, oxidizers, etc., may result. The properties of some of the energetic zwitterionic compounds are also compared with analogous energetic salts. This review will encourage readers to explore the possibility of designing new zwitterionic energetic materials.

Bis(dinitropyrazolyl)methanes spruced up with hydroxyl groups: high performance energetic salts with reduced sensitivity

With an aim to improve the overall physical stability of high-performing 3,5-dinitro-functionalised bispyrazolymethanes, a hydroxyl functionality was introduced at the fourth position to obtain 1,1'-methylenebis(3,5-dinitro-1H-pyrazol-4-ol) and its energetic salts. Superior oxygen balance and energy in comparison to the amino substituent at the 4th position and enhanced sensitivity with respect to the nitro and azido substituents helped in unlocking the potential of less explored N-alkylated-4-hydroxy-3,5-dinitropyrazoles. Fine-tuning of properties via dicationic salt formation, which is not feasible in any other reported symmetrically connected pyrazole-based energetic materials, resulted in improved physical and thermal stabilities, as well as energetic performance. Hirshfeld surface analysis, electrostatic potential analysis, the study of aromaticity and weakest Mayer-bond order analysis helped further in studying the structure-property relationship of the synthesized compounds with respect to different reported methylene-bridged symmetrical compounds.

Controlling the Energetic Properties of N-Methylene-C-Linked 4-Hydroxy-3,5-dinitropyrazole- and Tetrazole-Based Compounds via a Selective Mono- and Dicationic Salt Formation Strategy

In the quest to synthesize high-performing insensitive high-energy density materials (HEDMs), the main challenge is establishing an equilibrium between energy and stability. For this purpose, we explored 4-hydroxy-3,5-dinitropyrazole- and tetrazole-based energetic scaffolds connected via a N-methylene-C bridge. The hydroxy functionality between nitro groups on the pyrazole ring promotes physical stability via inter- and intramolecular hydrogen bonding and contributes to oxygen balance, supporting better energetic performance. Due to two acidic sites (OH and NH) with different reactivities, a series of monocationic and dicationic salts were synthesized, and their overall performance was compared. All compounds synthesized in this study have high physical stability with impact sensitivity >40 J and friction sensitivity >360 N. Monocationic salts were generally found to have better thermal stability with respect to their corresponding dicationic energetic salts, which showed better energetic performance. The salt formation strategy effectively improved the thermal stability of 2 (Td = 168 °C), where most energetic salts have decomposition temperatures higher than 220 °C. All of the compounds were characterized through IR, multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), and elemental analysis. The structure-property relationship was studied using Hirshfeld surface analysis, noncovalent interaction (NCI) analysis, and electrostatic potential studies.

Polynitro-functionalized 4-phenyl-1H-pyrazoles as heat-resistant explosives

A new class of heat-resistant explosives was synthesized by coupling N-methyl-3,5-dinitropyrazole with polynitrobenzene moieties through carbon-carbon bonds. Simple Pd(0)-based Suzuki cross-coupling reactions between N-methyl-4-bromo-3,5-dinitropyrazole and 4-chloro/3-hydroxy-phenylboronic acid followed by nitration, amination and oxidation lead to the formation of C-C connected penta-nitro energetic derivatives 6 and 10. Various other energetic derivatives, such as amino (5), azido (7), nitramino (8) and energetic salts (11-14), were also explored to fine-tune their properties. All the compounds were thoroughly characterized using IR, NMR [1H, 13C{1H}], differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), elemental analysis, and HRMS studies. Compounds 5, 10 and 13 were further characterized through 15N NMR, and the crystal structures of 6 and 14 were confirmed through single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. The physicochemical and energetic properties of all the energetic compounds were explored. Most of the synthesized compounds demonstrated high thermal stability (decomposition temperature Tdec > 250 °C), among which compounds 5 and 6 showed excellent thermal stability, having decomposition temperatures above 300 °C. The excellent thermal stability, acceptable sensitivity and good energetic properties of compounds 5, 6, 10 and 13 make them promising heat-resistant explosives. Furthermore, these compounds were found to be more thermally stable than the known N-methyl-3,5-dinitropyrazole-based and C-N coupled 3,4,5-trinitrobenzene-azole-based energetic compounds.

Asymmetrical Methylene-Bridge Linked Fully Iodinated Azoles as Energetic Biocidal Materials with Improved Thermal Stability

The instability and volatility of iodine is high, however, effective iodine biocidal species can be readily stored in iodinated azoles and then be released upon decomposition or detonation. Iodine azoles with high iodine content and high thermal stability are highly desired. In this work, the strategy of methylene bridging with asymmetric structures of 3,4,5-triiodo-1-H-pyrazole (TIP), 2,4,5-triiodo-1H-imidazol (TIM), and tetraiodo-1H-pyrrole (TIPL) are proposed. Two highly stable fully iodinated methylene-bridged azole compounds 3,4,5-triiodo-1-((2,4,5-triiodo-1H-imidazol-1-yl)methyl)-1H-pyrazole (3) and 3,4,5-triiodo-1-((tetraiodo-1H-pyrrol-1-yl)methyl)-1H-pyrazole (4) were obtained with high iodine content and excellent thermal stability (iodine content: 84.27% for compound 3 and 86.48% for compound 4; T_d: 3: 285 °C, 4: 260 °C). Furthermore, their composites with high-energy oxidant ammonium perchlorate (AP) were designed. The combustion behavior and thermal decomposition properties of the formulations were tested and evaluated. This work may open a new avenue to develop advanced energetic biocidal materials with well-balanced energetic and biocidal properties and versatile functionality.

Chemical Descriptors for a Large-Scale Study on Drop-Weight Impact Sensitivity of High Explosives

The drop-weight impact test is an experiment that has been used for nearly 80 years to evaluate handling sensitivity of high explosives. Although the results of this test are known to have large statistical uncertainties, it is one of the most common tests due to its accessibility and modest material requirements. In this paper, we compile a large data set of drop-weight impact sensitivity test results (mainly performed at Los Alamos National Laboratory), along with a compendium of molecular and chemical descriptors for the explosives under test. These data consist of over 500 unique explosives, over 1000 repeat tests, and over 100 descriptors, for a total of about 1500 observations. We use random forest methods to estimate a model of explosive handling sensitivity as a function of chemical and molecular properties of the explosives under test. Our model predicts well across a wide range of explosive types, spanning a broad range of explosive performance and sensitivity. We find that properties related to explosive performance, such as heat of explosion, oxygen balance, and functional group, are highly predictive of explosive handling sensitivity. Yet, models that omit many of these properties still perform well. Our results suggest that there is not one or even several factors that explain explosive handling sensitivity, but that there are many complex, interrelated effects at play.

A data-driven interpretation of the stability of organic molecular crystals

Due to the subtle balance of intermolecular interactions that govern structure-property relations, predicting the stability of crystal structures formed from molecular building blocks is a highly non-trivial scientific problem. A particularly active and fruitful approach involves classifying the different combinations of interacting chemical moieties, as understanding the relative energetics of different interactions enables the design of molecular crystals and fine-tuning of their stabilities. While this is usually performed based on the empirical observation of the most commonly encountered motifs in known crystal structures, we propose to apply a combination of supervised and unsupervised machine-learning techniques to automate the construction of an extensive library of molecular building blocks. We introduce a structural descriptor tailored to the prediction of the binding (lattice) energy and apply it to a curated dataset of organic crystals, exploiting its atom-centered nature to obtain a data-driven assessment of the contribution of different chemical groups to the lattice energy of the crystal. We then interpret this library using a low-dimensional representation of the structure-energy landscape and discuss selected examples of the insights into crystal engineering that can be extracted from this analysis, providing a complete database to guide the design of molecular materials.

Polynitro-N-aryl-C-nitro-pyrazole/imidazole Derivatives: Thermally Stable-Insensitive Energetic Materials

A wide array of methoxy-substituted-polynitro-aryl-pyrazole/imidazoles with readily oxidizable -NH₂/NO₂/NHNO₂/diazo functional groups is synthesized. Single crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirms the molecular structure of the compounds. Energetic properties of the synthesized compounds are determined by theoretical and experimental studies. Most of the compounds are thermally stable and insensitive to impact and friction. Some of the molecules possess better detonation velocity and detonation pressure over TNT.

A One-Step Approach to N-(Hetero)aryl-3,5-dinitropyrazoles from (Hetero)aryl Amines

Potassium 1,1,3,3-tetranitropropane-1,3-diide (K₂TNP) was found to react readily with various (hetero)aryl amines (12 examples) to give corresponding N-(hetero)aryl-3,5-dinitropyrazoles in moderate to excellent yields. The reactions were performed at mild temperature, and most of the reactions completed in less than 4 h. Four potential energetic compounds show high enthalpy of formation, excellent thermal stability, and good sensitivity, with 3-(3,5-dinitropyrazol-1-yl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole (3j) being a potential 2,2',4,4',6,6'-hexanitrostibene (HNS) replacement.

Recent Advances in Synthesis and Properties of Nitrated-Pyrazoles Based Energetic Compounds

Nitrated-pyrazole-based energetic compounds have attracted wide publicity in the field of energetic materials (EMs) due to their high heat of formation, high density, tailored thermal stability, and detonation performance. Many nitrated-pyrazole-based energetic compounds have been developed to meet the increasing demands of high power, low sensitivity, and eco-friendly environment, and they have good applications in explosives, propellants, and pyrotechnics. Continuous and growing efforts have been committed to promote the rapid development of nitrated-pyrazole-based EMs in the last decade, especially through large amounts of Chinese research. Some of the ultimate aims of nitrated-pyrazole-based materials are to develop potential candidates of castable explosives, explore novel insensitive high energy materials, search for low cost synthesis strategies, high efficiency, and green environmental protection, and further widen the applications of EMs. This review article aims to present the recent processes in the synthesis and physical and explosive performances of the nitrated-pyrazole-based Ems, including monopyrazoles with nitro, bispyrazoles with nitro, nitropyrazolo[4,3-c]pyrazoles, and their derivatives, and to comb the development trend of these compounds. This review intends to prompt fresh concepts for designing prominent high-performance nitropyrazole-based EMs.

Novel energetic metal-organic frameworks assembled from the energetic combination of furazan and tetrazole

Two novel 2D energetic metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), namely, [Pb(BTF)(H2O)2]n (1) and [Ba(BTF)(H2O)4]n (2), that possess the combined advantages of tetrazole and furazan rings were successfully synthesized. Their crystal structures were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and fully characterized by elemental analysis and FT-IR spectroscopy. Their thermal stability and sensitivity were also investigated. The MOFs have good thermal stability (Tdec > 250 °C) and are insensitive to impact (IS > 25 J) and friction (FS > 360 N), and also have good oxygen balance (Ω > -20%). Crystal structure analyses reveal that the two compounds have densities up to 3.382 g cm-3 and 2.336 g cm-3, respectively, and excellent physicochemical properties. Tetrazole and furazan rings as ligands can commendably increase the densities and oxygen balance of energetic MOFs, thereby enhancing their detonation performance. We anticipate that this work will open a new direction for the development of energetic MOFs. Moreover, (1) exhibits outstanding catalytic performance for ammonium perchlorate (AP). When the supramolecular complex was added in 10 wt% amount, the high-temperature decomposition peak of AP advanced by 95 °C and the reaction rates enhanced by lowering the activation energy.

Azo- and methylene-bridged mixed azoles for stable and insensitive energetic applications

A simple synthetic strategy for the preparation of high nitrogen content azo- and methylene bridged mixed energetic azoles was used.

High pressure behavior of crystal [2,2'-bi(1,3,4-oxadiazole)]-5,5'-dinitramide: A DFT investigation

Density functional theory (DFT) computation was carried out to investigate the crystal, molecular and electronic structures of high energy crystal [2,2'-bi(1,3,4-oxadiazole)]-5,5'-dinitramide (BODN) with the pressure 0-120 GPa. The relaxed crystal structure by the GGA/PBE-TS functional matches well with the experimental data at ambient pressure condition. With the intensifying of pressure, the lattice parameters, volumes, bond lengths, H-bond energies, atomic charges, bond populations, band gaps and density of states of crystal BODN change gently. Under the pressure of 48, 104, and 107 GPa, three pressure-induced transformations occurred. The intramolecular six membered rings pose strong affect in stabilizing systems in the pressure range 0-120 GPa. Between O1 and H2 atoms, the H-bond interaction transforms into covalent interaction under the circumstance of 48 GPa. At 104 GPa, structural transformation occurs with the distortion of the intramolecular six membered ring. In addition, O1⋅⋅⋅H2 and O2⋅⋅⋅H1 have the largest H-bond energies in comparison with the others. When the pressure reaches 107 GPa, the H-bond O1⋅⋅⋅H2 is formed again with the deformation and non-coplanarity of two oxadiazoles in crystal BODN. The electrons can be moved easily based on the density of states and energy bands under high pressure. Helpful information will be conveyed by this work in the field of further analysis connected the pressure effect on molecular transformations.

Facile and selective polynitrations at the 4-pyrazolyl dual backbone: straightforward access to a series of high-density energetic materials

Progressive nitro functionalization of 4,4′-bipyrazole yields insensitive and stable high explosives with excellent densities and detonation properties.

Periodic DFT study of structural transformations of cocrystal NTO/TZTN under high pressure

Density functional theory (DFT) periodic calculations were performed to study the geometrical and electronic structures of energetic cocrystal NTO/TZTN under pressures ranging from 0 to 80 GPa. The optimized crystal structure by the GGA/PW91 (Perdew-Wang-91) and dispersion corrections corresponds well with the experimental values under ambient pressure. With the pressure increasing, the lattice constants, unit cell volumes, interatomic distances, H-bond energies, atomic charges, and bond populations of cocrystal NTO/TZTN change gradually. At pressures of 4, 8, and 23 GPa, three structural transformations occurred, shown by the results. The cyclization plays an important role in stabilizing the systems. The increasing pressure contributes to the increase of interaction force gradually. At 4 GPa, a new hydrogen bond O3⋯H5 is formed. At 8 GPa, the formation of eight membered rings is because of the existence of a covalent bond O1-H3 between two NTO molecules. In addition, a covalent interaction is formed between N2 and H4 atoms with the biggest H-bond energy compared to the others. As the pressure reaches 23 GPa, another new hydrogen bond forms between N8 and H5 atoms, which contributes to the formation of a five membered ring between NTO and TZTN. The electrons can move freely according to the results of the density of states between the valence and conduction bands when the pressure is high. This work will provide useful information in understanding the high-pressure effect on the structural transformation.

Pyrazole-Tetrazole Hybrid with Trinitromethyl, Fluorodinitromethyl, or (Difluoroamino)dinitromethyl Groups: High-Performance Energetic Materials

High-nitrogen-content compounds have attracted great scientific interest and technological importance because of their unique energy content, and they find diverse applications in many fields of science and technology. Understanding of structure-property relationship trends and how to modify them is of paramount importance for their further improvement. Herein, the installation of oxygen-rich modules, C(NO₂ )₃ , C(NO₂ )₂ F, or C(NO₂ )₂ NF₂ , into an endothermic framework, that is, the combination of a nitropyrazole unit and tetrazole ring, is used as a way to design novel energetic compounds. Density, oxygen balance, and enthalpy of formation are enhanced by the presence of these oxygen-containing units. The structures of all compounds were confirmed by XRD. For crystal packing analysis, it is proposed to use new criterion, Δ_OED , that can serve as a measure of the tightness of molecular packing upon crystal formation. Overall, the materials show promising detonation and propulsion parameters.

Balancing Excellent Performance and High Thermal Stability in a Dinitropyrazole Fused 1,2,3,4-Tetrazine

The key to successfully designing high-performance and insensitive energetic compounds for practical applications is through adjusting the molecular organization including both fuel and oxidizer. Now a superior hydrogen-free 5/6/5 fused ring energetic material, 1,2,9,10-tetranitrodipyrazolo[1,5-d:5',1'-f][1,2,3,4]tetrazine (6) obtained from 4,4',5,5'-tetranitro-2H,2'H-3,3'-bipyrazole (4) by N-amination and N-azo coupling reactions is described. The structures of 5 and 6 were confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction measurements. Compound 6 has a remarkable room temperature experimental density of 1.955 g cm^-3 and shows excellent detonation performance. In addition, it has a high decomposition temperature of 233 °C. These fascinating properties, which are comparable to those of CL-20, make it very attractive in high performance applications.