Nitrosyl azide

Nitrosyl azide
Identifiers
CAS Number	62316-46-5;
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image;
ChemSpider	13917998;
PubChem CID	18974641;
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)	DTXSID401029641 ;
	InChI InChI=1S/N4O/c1-2-3-4-5 Key: LHKVDVFVJMYULK-UHFFFAOYSA-N ;
	SMILES [N-]=[N+]=NN=O;
Properties
Chemical formula	N3−N=O
Molar mass	72.027 g·mol−1
Appearance	Pale yellow solid below −50 °C (−58 °F). Above that temperature it decomposes.
Related compounds
Related compounds	Nitrogen monoxide; Nitrous oxide; Nitryl azide; Oxatetrazole;
	Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). Infobox references

Nitrosyl azide is an inorganic compound of nitrogen and oxygen with the chemical formula N₃−N=O. It is a highly labile nitrogen oxide with the empirical formula N₄O.

Synthesis

Nitrosyl azide can be synthesized via the following reaction of sodium azide and nitrosyl chloride at low temperatures:

Properties

Below −50 °C, nitrosyl azide exists as a pale yellow solid. Above this temperature, it decomposes into nitrous oxide N₂O and molecular nitrogen N₂:^[1]

Characterization of the compound with IR and Raman spectroscopy show absorption bands that agree well with calculated values for a trans-structure.^[1]^[2] Quantum chemical calculations show a cis-form higher in energy by 4.2 kJ/mol and an aromatic ring form (oxatetrazole N₄O) that is more stable by 205 kJ/mol. However, the cyclization to the ring form would have to surpass the 205 kJ/mol activation energy barrier require to bend the azide group, which might explain why nitrosyl azide is stable enough to be isolated at low temperature.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Schulz, Axel; Tornieporth-Oetting, Inis C.; Klapötke, Thomas M. (1993). "Nitrosyl Azide, N4O, an Intrinsically Unstable Oxide of Nitrogen". Angewandte Chemie International Edition in English. 32 (11): 1610–1612. doi:10.1002/anie.199316101.
^ Lucien, Harold W. (1958). "The Preparation and Properties of Nitrosyl Azide". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 80 (17): 4458–4460. doi:10.1021/ja01550a004.

Cotton, F. Albert & Geoffrey Wilkinson (1999). Advanced Inorganic Chemistry (6th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons. p. 331. ISBN 0-471-19957-5.

[Schulz-1] Schulz, Axel; Tornieporth-Oetting, Inis C.; Klapötke, Thomas M. (1993). "Nitrosyl Azide, N4O, an Intrinsically Unstable Oxide of Nitrogen". Angewandte Chemie International Edition in English. 32 (11): 1610–1612. doi:10.1002/anie.199316101.

[Lucien-2] Lucien, Harold W. (1958). "The Preparation and Properties of Nitrosyl Azide". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 80 (17): 4458–4460. doi:10.1021/ja01550a004.

[1]

[2]