Heptanitrocubane /ˌhɛptəˌntrˈkjbn/ is an experimental high explosive based on the cubic eight-carbon cubane molecule and closely related to octanitrocubane. Seven of the eight hydrogen atoms at the corners of the cubane molecule are replaced by nitro groups, giving the final molecular formula C8H(NO2)7.

Heptanitrocubane
Structural formula
Ball-and-stick model
Names
Preferred IUPAC name
1,2,3,4,5,6,7-Heptanitrocubane
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChemSpider
  • InChI=1S/C8HN7O14/c16-9(17)2-1-3(10(18)19)5(2,12(22)23)8(15(28)29)6(2,13(24)25)4(1,11(20)21)7(3,8)14(26)27/h1H checkY
    Key: GUPWSTKEIMSQHI-UHFFFAOYSA-N checkY
  • InChI=1/C8HN7O14/c16-9(17)2-1-3(10(18)19)5(2,12(22)23)8(15(28)29)6(2,13(24)25)4(1,11(20)21)7(3,8)14(26)27/h1H
    Key: GUPWSTKEIMSQHI-UHFFFAOYAQ
  • [O-][N+](=O)C14C3C2([N+]([O-])=O)C1([N+]([O-])=O)C5([N+]([O-])=O)C2([N+]([O-])=O)C3([N+]([O-])=O)C45[N+]([O-])=O
Properties
C8HN7O14
Molar mass 419.131 g·mol−1
Hazards
Occupational safety and health (OHS/OSH):
Main hazards
Explosive
Related compounds
Related compounds
Cubane
Octanitrocubane
2,4,6-Tris(trinitromethyl)-1,3,5-triazine
4,4’-Dinitro-3,3’-diazenofuroxan
Hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
checkY verify (what is checkY☒N ?)

As with octanitrocubane, not enough heptanitrocubane has been synthesized to perform detailed tests on its stability and energy. It is hypothesized to have slightly better performance than explosives such as HMX, the current high-energy standard explosive, based on chemical energy analysis. While in theory not as energetic as octanitrocubane's theoretical maximum density, the heptanitrocubane that has been synthesized so far is a more effective explosive than any octanitrocubane that has been produced, due to more efficient crystal packing and hence higher density.[1]

Heptanitrocubane was first synthesized by the same team who synthesized octanitrocubane, Philip Eaton and Mao-Xi Zhang at the University of Chicago, in 1999.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Gejji, Shridhar P; Patil, Ujwala N; Dhumal, Nilesh R (2004). "Molecular electrostatic potentials and electron densities in nitrocubanes C8H8−α(NO2)α (α=1–8): Ab initio and density functional study". Journal of Molecular Structure: THEOCHEM. 681 (1–3): 117–127. doi:10.1016/j.theochem.2004.05.012.
  2. ^ Mao-Xi Zhang; Philip E. Eaton; Richard Gilardi (2000). "Hepta- and Octanitrocubanes". Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 39 (2): 401–404. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1521-3773(20000117)39:2<401::AID-ANIE401>3.0.CO;2-P. PMID 10649425.

Further reading

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