Formula H2N2O2 Appearance colourless solid | Molar mass 62.03 g/mol | |
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Nitramide, H2NNO2, is a chemical compound. Organyl derivatives of nitramide, RNHNO2 are termed nitroamines, and are widely used as explosives: examples include RDX and HMX.
Contents
Structure
The nitramide molecule is essentially an amine group (-NH2) bonded to a nitro group (-NO2). It is reported to be non-planar in the gas phase, but planar in the crystal phase.
Synthesis
Thiele and Lachman's original synthesis of nitramide involved the hydrolysis of potassium nitrocarbamate:
K2(O2NNCO2) + 2H2SO4 → O2NNH2 + CO2 + 2KHSO4Other routes to nitramide include hydrolysis of nitrocarbamic acid,
O2NNHCO2H → O2NNH2 + CO2reaction of sodium sulfamate with nitric acid,
Na(SO3NH2) + HNO3 → O2NNH2 + NaHSO4and reaction of dinitrogen pentoxide with two equivalents of ammonia.
N2O5 + 2NH3 → O2NNH2 + NH4NO3Organic nitramides
Also called nitramines, organic nitramides are important explosives. They are prepared by nitrolysis of hexamethylenetetramine.