High nitrogen content energetic compounds, envisioned as a first step towards High EnergyDensity Materials (HEDM) for space propulsion, were prepared from hydrazine derivatives. Indeed,the formation of nitrogen gas (N−−−N) from an N−−N bond yields a lot of energy and even morefrom an N−N bond. Hence, an amination reaction on unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH)yielded a 2,2-dimethyltriazanium salt, containing three consecutive single-bonded nitrogen atoms.The initial inorganic anion was then exchanged with the following nitrogen-rich anions in order toyield energetic salts: 5-aminotetrazolate, 5-nitrotetrazolate, 5,5’-azobistetrazolate, azide, nitroformateand dinitramide. For safety reasons, the ion metathesis of the azide salt was conductedby electrodialysis and the sensitivities of all compounds towards both impact and friction wereevaluated in accordance with standard procedures. Reliable heats of formation of the compoundswith the highest nitrogen content were obtained by oxygen bomb calorimetry. These values werethen computed with quantum mechanical methods and compared with known procedures reportedin the literature, whose theoretical backgrounds have been discussed. Consequently, theprocedure resulting in the best match between calculated and experimental heats of formation wasidentified. The precision of the method used herein exceeds that of recent results from renownedresearch groups in this field. Thus, the various techniques introduced during the course of thiswork will enable our laboratory to progress more efficiently in this area of research.
