Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised May 28, 2026

Pentazolate

In chemistry, a pentazolate is a compound that contains a cyclo–N−5 ion, the anion of pentazole. In 2017, researchers prepared the first salt (N5)6(H3O)3(NH4)4Cl containing pentazolate anion starting a substituted phenylpentazole, m-CPBA and iron(II) glycinate. A series of metal and nonmetal pentazolates were subsequently synthesized according to their work.

Last revised
May 28, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
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434 w
Citations
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Source
Wikipedia ↗
Pentazolate
source ↗
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
  • InChI=1S/N5/c1-2-4-5-3-1/q-1
    Key: DAHQTMWHOQRXRN-UHFFFAOYSA-N
  • N1=NN=N[N-]1
Properties
N−5
Conjugate acid Pentazole
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
Precursors to pentazolates. (R=3,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxylphenyl) source ↗

In chemistry, a pentazolate is a compound that contains a cyclo–N−5 ion, the anion of pentazole. In 2017, researchers prepared the first salt (N5)6(H3O)3(NH4)4Cl containing pentazolate anion starting a substituted phenylpentazole, m-CPBA and iron(II) glycinate.1 A series of metal and nonmetal pentazolates were subsequently synthesized according to their work.

List of pentazolates

Appearance Dec. temp (°C) Ref
LiN5 white 133 2
LiN5·3H2O colorless 139 2
[Na(N5)(H2O)]·2H2O colorless 111.3 3
[Mg(N5)2(H2O)6]·4H2O colorless 103.5 3
[Al(N5)3(H2O)6]·9H2O white 141.4 4
[Mn(N5)2(H2O)4]·4H2O colorless 104.1 3
[Fe(N5)2(H2O)4]·4H2O pale green 114.7 3
[Fe(N5)3(H2O)6]·9H2O reddish brown 108.9 4
[Co(N5)2(H2O)4]·4H2O bright orange 58.9 3
AgN5 pale white 120 5
[Pb4(OH)4]4(N5)4 colorless 80 6
[N(CH3)4]N5 white 80.8 7
(NH3OH)N5 white 104.3 7
[C(NH2)3]N5 white 88.1 7
NH4N5 white 102.0 7
N2H5N5 white 85.3 7
(CN7H6)N5 96.3 8
References

References

  1. Zhang, C., Sun, C., Hu, B., Yu, C., & Lu, M. (2017). Synthesis and characterization of the pentazolate anion cyclo-N5− in (N5)6(H3O)3(NH4)4Cl. Science, 355(6323), 374–376. doi:10.1126/science.aah3840
  2. Xu, Y., Ding, L., Yang, F., Li, D., Wang, P., Lin, Q., & Lu, M. (2022). LiN5: A novel pentazolate salt with high nitrogen content. Chemical Engineering Journal, 429, 132399.
  3. Xu, Y., Wang, Q., Shen, C. et al. A series of energetic metal pentazolate hydrates. Nature 549, 78–81 (2017). doi:10.1038/nature23662
  4. Chen, L., Yang, C., Hu, H., Shi, L., Zhang, C., Sun, C., ... & Hu, B. (2022). Iron(III) and aluminum(III) complexes of cyclopentazolate anions. CrystEngComm. doi:10.1039/D2CE01270G
  5. Sun, C., Zhang, C., Jiang, C., Yang, C., Du, Y., Zhao, Y., Hu. B., Zheng. Z., Christe, K. O. (2018). Synthesis of AgN5 and its extended 3D energetic framework. Nature Communications, 9(1). doi:10.1038/s41467-018-03678-y
  6. Yuan, Y., Xu, Y., Xie, Q., Li, D., Lin, Q., Wang, P., & Lu, M. (2022). Pentazolate coordination polymers self-assembled by in situ generated [Pb4(OH)4]4+ cubic cations trapping cyclo-N5–. Dalton Transactions, 51(15), 5801-5809.
  7. Yang, C., Zhang, C., Zheng, Z., Jiang, C., Luo, J., Du, Y., Hu. B., Sun. C., Christe, K. O. (2018). Synthesis and Characterization of cyclo-Pentazolate Salts of NH4+, NH3OH+, N2H5+, C(NH2)3+, and N(CH3)4+. Journal of the American Chemical Society. doi:10.1021/jacs.8b05106
  8. Yu, R. J., Liu, Y. J., Huang, W., & Tang, Y. X. (2022). A hybrid of tetrazolium and pentazolate: An energetic salt with ultrahigh nitrogen content and energy. Energetic Materials Frontiers. doi:10.1016/j.enmf.2022.05.002
See also

See also