Experimental detection of tetranitrogen.
Tetranitrogen (N4), which has been the subject of great theoretical interest, has been prepared from the N4+ cation and positively detected as a gaseous metastable molecule with a lifetime exceeding 1 microsecond in experiments based on neutralization-reionization mass spectrometry. An examination of the geometry of N4+ and the fragmentation pattern of the (14)N2(15)N2 neutral molecule has revealed that the latter is characterized by an open-chain geometry with two distinct, closely bound N2 units joined by a longer weaker bond.
Cacace
F
F
Dipartimento di Studi di Chimica e Tecnologia delle Sostanze Biologicamente Attive, Università di Roma "La Sapienza," Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5-00185 Roma, Italy. fulvio.cacace@uniroma1.it
de Petris
G
G
Troiani
A
A