Structure via PubChem · Public domain (PubChem)
cyclic trinitrogen
Sign in to saveAlso known as (N3)(.), azide radical, cyclic-N3, trinitrogen(.)
Trinitrogen also known as the azide radical is an unstable molecule composed of three nitrogen atoms. Two arrangements are known: a linear form with double bonds and charge transfer, and a cyclic form. Both forms are highly unstable, though the linear form is the more stable of the two. More-stable derivatives exist, such as when it acts as a ligand, and it may participate in azido nitration, which is a reaction between sodium azide and ammonium cerium nitrate.
Chemical data
- Formula
- N3
- Molecular weight
- 42.021 g/mol
- SMILES
- [N-]=[N+]=[N]
- InChIKey
- DUAJIKVIRGATIW-UHFFFAOYSA-N
- XLogP
- 1.5
- Polar surface area
- 3 Ų
- H-bond donors
- 0
- H-bond acceptors
- 1
- Formal charge
- 0
via PubChem
Wikidata facts
- Mass
- 42.009222
Show 4 more facts
- chemical formula
- N₃
- canonical SMILES
- [N-]=[N+]=[N]
- different from
- azide
- Commons category
- Trinitrogen
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~1 min read
Encyclopedic overview
2 sectionsContents
- References
- External links
Trinitrogen also known as the azide radical is an unstable molecule composed of three nitrogen atoms. Two arrangements are known: a linear form with double bonds and charge transfer, and a cyclic form. Both forms are highly unstable, though the linear form is the more stable of the two. More-stable derivatives exist, such as when it acts as a ligand, and it may participate in azido nitration, which is a reaction between sodium azide and ammonium cerium nitrate.
The linear form of N3 is similar to the azide anion and was discovered in 1956 by B. A. Thrush by photolysis of hydrogen azide. As a linear and symmetric molecule, it has D∞h symmetry, with a nitrogen–nitrogen bond length averaging 1.8115 Å. The first excited electronic state, A2Σu, is 4.56 eV above the ground state.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “cyclic trinitrogen” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.