Synthesis and Properties of Higher Nuclearity Polyazanes

Abstract : Polyazanes (that is, higher nuclearity homologues of hydrazines) with increasing numbers of bound nitrogen atoms (from 3 to 5) were prepared via additions of lower order polyazanes to diazo reagents, including the first pentazane ever described. A structure was obtained. It was shown that the polynitrogen chains adopt a helical conformation. DFT modeling shows that the arrangement subsists in solution. While the polyazanes are all reducing agents, they become less so with the increasing number of nitrogens.