Dinitrogen pentoxide

• DNPO
• Nitric anhydride
• Nitrogen ( V) oxide

Colorless solid

Fixed

1.64 g · cm -3

30-35 ° C.

Reacts with water

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Dinitrogen pentoxide is the anhydride of nitric acid and belongs to the group of nitrogen oxides.

Representation

Dinitrogen pentoxide can be obtained from nitric acid by dehydration with phosphorus pentoxide.

Other ways of production exist in the implementation of salt-like nitrates or concentrated nitric acid with nitryl fluoride ( NO2F ) or by the latter with hydrogen fluoride or by oxidation of N2O4 dimer as present in the gas phase NO2 with ozone.

In 1983, the industrial synthesis is usually carried out by electrolysis of nitric acid in the presence of dinitrogen tetroxide.

Properties

Dinitrogen pentoxide forms colorless crystals which decompose violently with water in nitric acid.

The compound is soluble in chloroform, tetrachloromethane, trichlorofluoromethane, and sulfolane, however, the solutions have to be cooled to at least 0 ° C. It decomposes at room temperature to form NO2 and O2. The half-life is at 0 ° C for about 10 days, h at 20 ° C for about 10 case of fast heating, the decomposition is often explosively.

In the solid state dinitrogen pentoxide has the ionic structure [ NO2 ] [ NO3- ] and has a hexagonal crystal structure with space group P63/mmc. It has very strong oxidizing properties.

Use

Solutions of pure dinitrogen pentoxide in organic solvents ( eg, dichloromethane or trichlorofluoromethane ) represent mild nitrating agent, who found broad application.