Impact Insensitive Dianionic Dinitrourea Salts: The CN4O52− Anion Paired with Nitrogen-Rich Cations

Having examined the energetic properties of dinitrourea (DNU) as a monoanion, this study was extended to the syntheses and characterization of ten DNU dianionic salts by the metathesis of tetrazolium and guanidinium sulfates with in situ-generated barium DNU in aqueous solution. These materials are impact insensitive. They were fully characterized by NMR, elemental analysis, IR, DSC, and TGA. Bis(guanylguanidinium) DNU dianionic salt ( 9 ) crystallizes in the triclinic space group P -1. The detonation pressure ( P ) values calculated for these salts range from 19.6 to 29.1 GPa, and the detonation velocities ( v D ) range from 7521 to 8908 m/s, which make them competitive energetic materials. The chlorine-free DNU dianionic salts are green, and the straightforward synthesis process avoids the use of costly silver salts. The DNU dianion compares very favorably with dinitramide as a novel oxidative species.