Synthesis and properties of high nitrogen salts of 4,4',5,5'-tetranitro-2,2'-biimidazole

Nitro derivatives of imidazole form an interesting group of high-energy materials. One of them is 4,4’,5,5’-tetranitro-2,2’-biimidazole (TNBI) which has high detonation parameters and could be used in modern propellants or explosive compositions. Unfortunately it is very hygroscopic and can be used only in form of salt. An important feature of these materials is their low sensitivity to mechanical stimuli. In the past few years, several publications about TNBI and its salts have been released but still there are no results of complex study on detonation parameters. In this work, new high-nitrogen salts of TNBI were synthesized — 3-amino-1,2,4-triazolium and 4-amino-1,2,4-triazolium 4,4’,5,5’-tetranitro-2,2’-biimidazolate. The structure of the obtained compounds was confirmed with NMR spectroscopy. Thermal properties were investigated with DTA/TG analysis.[b]Keywords[/b]: explosives, TNBI, high nitrogen salts