The synthesis of explosives, propellants, and pyrotechnics has come a long way since Alfred Nobel’s work with dynamite, but chemists are still modifying energetic materials for better payloads. The challenge now is to make more powerful explosives, pyrotechnics with purer light emission, and materials that produce greener byproducts (yes, that last one's a bit ironic). Popular explosives in current use like TNT and RDX (1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazinane) are mainly fueled by the oxidation of the carbon atoms in their molecular backbone. Modern techniques involve designing molecules with high heats of formation (meaning there's more energy to burn) and added strain in their molecular structures (meaning the energy's released more quickly) for more efficient explosions and safer handling.
With those techniques in mind, Thomas Klap�tke’s research group at the Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich created a new type of energetic material based on the anionic (negatively charged) tetrazole, which is paired with nitrogen-rich energetic cations (positively charged ions) in explosives. Tetrazoles come with several beneficial properties: high heats of formation, ring strain, high density, and thermal stability. One thing that tetrazoles lack is a good oxygen balance.
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