Nitrodiazene oxides: a unique nitrogen- and oxygen-containing functional group.

Abstract

Nitrogen-/oxygen-containing functional groups (N/O groups) may be found in a wide variety of areas such as agriculture, drug design and energetic materials. Exploring the chemistry and synthesis of N/O groups is desirable as compounds containing their functionality may prove to be invaluable in a variety of fields. A unique N/O functional group which may offer additional insight into the design of high-heteroatom content systems is the 2-nitrodiazene-1-N-oxide group (NDO group). While unique on their own, NDOs combine the well-known azoxy (N(O)=N) and nitro (-NO2) groups into a single unique N/O functional group. Although NDOs may offer superior densities and enthalpies of formations relative to their nitro counterparts, NDOs have been significantly less investigated than their nitro-bearing counterparts. This work will discuss NDOs in chemical literature from their initial discovery to modern synthesis techniques, energetic properties and chemical stability.