Synthesis and Properties of Higher Nuclearity Polyazanes.

Polyazanes (i.e., higher nuclearity homologues of hydrazines) with increasing numbers of bound nitrogen atoms (from 3 to 5), including the first pentazane ever described, were prepared by the addition of lower-order polyazanes to diazo reagents. A structure was obtained. It was shown that the polynitrogen chains adopt a helical conformation. DFT modeling shows that the arrangement persists in solution. Although the polyazanes are all reducing agents, they become less so as the number of nitrogens increases.