Room-temperature synthesis of a new stable (N2H4)WO3 compound: a route for hydrazine trapping.

A new (N2H4)WO3 compound has been obtained by mixing WO3 and aqueous hydrazine solution at room temperature for 24 h. The reaction is catalyzed by the presence of lithium. X-ray, synchrotron and neutron diffraction techniques have shown that the material crystallizes in trigonal space group P3221 (No. 154). Chains of distorted WO4 tetrahedra extend along the a axis of the unit cell, linked by a corner-sharing oxygen atom: the N2H4 are in the voids between them. The thermal characterization shows that this new compound is stable up to 220°C, greatly beyond the boiling point of N2H4 (114°C); thus making it a promising candidate for catalysis or trapping applications.