Studies on energetic compounds Part 45. Synthesis and crystal structure of disodium azotetrazole pentahydrate

A disodium salt of azotetrazolate (SAZ) has been prepared and characterized by elemental, UV, 13C NMR, FT-IR, and crystallographic analyses. Single crystals of the pentahydrate were grown by slow evaporation of an aqueous solution under reduced pressure. The crystal structure of SAZ has been determined by X-ray diffraction. The crystal lattice is triclinic P1 (no. 2) with lattice parameters a=7.115(1)A, b=7.559(1)A, c=12.025(1)A, alpha=79.75(1) degrees , beta=81.12(1) degrees , gamma=68.16(1) degrees and V=587.97(12)A3. Explosion delay studies have been undertaken using the tube furnace technique. The thermal stability of the compound has been discussed in the light of TG-DSC and explosion delay.