Bicyclic High-Energy and Low-Sensitivity Regioisomeric Energetic Compounds Based on Polynitrobenzene and Pyrazoles

Abstract

With the development of synthetic methodology and crystallography of energetic materials, regiochemistry is becoming popular and vital in the design of versatile energetic compounds as well as in the thorough research on the relationship between structure and property. In this study, two regioisomeric bicyclic energetic compounds based on pyrazole and polynitrobenzene were synthesized simultaneously by a simple synthetic route, and the regioisomers could be purified by a facile approach. It is interesting to note that the ratio of the two compounds changed with temperature. From 80 to 110 °C, the proportion of compound 2 gradually enhanced with the increase in temperature. In addition, the nitramine product of compound 1 was also synthesized. The structural data of compounds 1, 2, and 3 were confirmed by X-ray single-crystal diffraction. The detonation velocities of the new compounds are in the range of 8436–8788 m s–1 and impact sensitivities are between 15 and 27.5 J, of which compounds 2 and 3 not only present superior sensitivities to those of the classical high-energy explosive RDX (7.5 J) but also exhibit comparable detonation velocities to the measured RDX powder (VD = 8796 m s–1), calculated by EXPLO5 as 8788 and 8526 m s–1, respectively. Moreover, compounds 1 and 2 show good thermal stability with decomposition temperatures up to 263 and 287 °C, which is higher than that of RDX (Tdec: 204 °C). All of the above information indicates that these compounds are high-energy, low-sensitivity energetic materials featuring prospective applications.