Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Chemistry => Topic started by: caters on 27/11/2013 02:02:02

Title: Could nitrogen polymerise?
Post by: caters on 27/11/2013 02:02:02

I wonder. If You could get nitrogen atoms to single bond with each other and oxygen atoms to single bond with each other will you get solid crystals like you do with C-C covalent bonds for the nitrogen and polymerization of oxygen? You know like this:
N-N-N-N-N
/ / / / /
N-N-N-N-N
on and on and on
and also
O-O-O-O-O-O-O
on and on and on?

What would you call these nitrogen crystals?
What would you call that oxygen chain? Oxane maybe?
I think you would call this single bond oxygen chain an Oxane.
Of course if you want to stop the polymerization you would have to add Hs at the ends.
would you name the first 20 oxanes
methoxane
ethoxane
propoxane
butoxane
pentoxane
hexoxane
heptoxane
octoxane
nonoxane
decoxane
undecoxane
dodecoxane
tridecoxane
tetradecoxane
pentadecoxane
hexadecoxane
heptadecoxane
octadecoxane
nonadecoxane
and
icosoxane?
same rules would apply to oxanes as alkanes. Just remember to put the ox before the ane so that you know “Okay it is an oxygen chain” there wouldn’t be but 1 oxene and that is oxygen gas or diatomic oxygen. and no oxynes.

Title: Re: Could nitrogen polymerise?
Post by: Kryptid on 27/11/2013 23:36:31

Yes: http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2012/10/nitrogen-allotrope-polymorph-cage-adamantane (http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2012/10/nitrogen-allotrope-polymorph-cage-adamantane)

http://phys.org/news693.html (http://phys.org/news693.html)

Do take note that high pressures are needed to keep nitrogen polymers and networks solids stable. Nitrogen-nitrogen single bonds are weak and the nitrogen-nitrogen triple bond is strong. This means that substances composed of many N-N single bonds are often unstable and explosive (as they could enter a much lower energy state by becoming the very stable N₂ molecule).

Pure oxygen polymers would have a similar problem. I am currently unaware of any successful attempt to form them. The closest might be "red oxygen", which is a cube-like molecule of O₈.

Title: Re: Could nitrogen polymerise?
Post by: caters on 28/11/2013 17:53:04

there is dioxidane H2O2. There is oxidane H2O. Oxidanes are oxygen chains.

Title: Re: Could nitrogen polymerise?
Post by: CliffordK on 28/11/2013 19:13:17

Apparently a "Nitrogen Diamond" (http://www.phschool.com/science/science_news/articles/nitrogen_power.html) has been synthesized, with each nitrogen forming 3 single bonds, somewhat like carbon making 4 single bonds.

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be stable at ambient temperatures/pressures.