Persistent Organic High‐Spin Trinitrenes

Abstract

The septet ground state trinitrenes 1,3,5‐trichloro‐2,4,6‐trinitrenobenzene and 1,3,5‐tribromo‐2,4,6‐trinitrenobenzene were isolated in inert (Ar, Ne, and Xe) as well as reactive matrices (H2, O2, and H2O) at cryogenic temperatures. These trinitrenes were obtained in high yields by UV photolysis of the corresponding triazides and characterized by IR and UV/Vis spectroscopy. The trinitrenes, despite bearing six unpaired electrons, are remarkably unreactive towards molecular oxygen and hydrogen and are persistent in water ice up to 160 K where the water matrix starts to sublime off.