Octaazacubane

Octaazacubane

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Names
Other names Octaazapentacyclo[4.2.0.02,5.03,8.04,7]octane; Cubaazane; Nitrogen octaatomic molecule
Identifiers
CAS Number	78998-15-9 Y
Jmol 3D model	Interactive image
SMILES N12N3N4N1N5N4N3N52
Properties
Chemical formula	N8
Molar mass	112.06 g·mol−1
Density	2.69 g/cm3 (predicted)
Vapor pressure	{{{value}}}
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
Y verify (what is YN ?)
Infobox references

Octaazacubane is a hypothetical allotrope of nitrogen with formula N₈, whose molecules have eight atoms arranged into a cube. (By comparison, nitrogen usually occurs as the diatomic molecule N₂.) It can be regarded as a derivative of cubane, where all eight carbon atoms (and their corresponding hydrogen atoms) have been replaced with a nitrogen atom. It is predicted to be a metastable molecule, in which despite the thermodynamic instability caused by bond strain, and the high energy of the N–N single bonds, the molecule remains kinetically stable for reasons of orbital symmetry.

Explosive and fuel

Octaazacubane is predicted to have an energy density (assuming decomposition into N₂) of 22.9 MJ/kg, which is over 5 times the standard value of TNT. It has therefore been proposed (along with other exotic nitrogen allotropes) as an explosive, and as a component of high performance rocket fuel. Its velocity of detonation is predicted to be 15,000 m/s, much (48.5%) more than ONC, the fastest known nonnuclear explosive.

See also

• Tetranitrogen (Nitrogen allotrope with formula N₄)
• Hexazine (Nitrogen allotrope with formula N₆)
• Azidopentazole (Nitrogen allotrope with formula N₈)
• Bispentazole (Nitrogen allotrope with formula N₁₀)
• Bis(pentazolyl)diazene (Nitrogen allotrope with formula N₁₂)
• Eicosaazadodecahedrane (Nitrogen allotrope with formula N₂₀)
• Hexacontaazabuckminsterfullerene (Nitrogen allotrope with formula N₆₀)
• Pentazole
• Octanitrocubane (ONC)
• 1,1′-Azobis-1,2,3-triazole