6605. Nitrogen Pentoxide

Nomenclature

CAS number: 10102-03-1
Dinitrogen pentoxide; nitric anhydride.
N2O5; mol wt 108.01.
N 25.94%, O 74.06%.

Description and references

Usually prepd by dehydration of nitric acid by means of phosphorus pentoxide: Gruenhut et al., Inorg. Synth. 3, 78 (1950). Reviews: Beattie, “Dinitrogen Pentoxide” in Mellor's Vol. VIII, supplement II, Nitrogen (part 2), 269-277 (1967); Jones in Comprehensive Inorganic Chemistry vol. 2, J. C. Bailar, Jr. et al., Eds. (Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1973) pp 356-360.

Properties

Colorless hexagonal crystals. mp 30°. Sublimes at 32.4° but undergoes moderately fast decompn into O2 and the NO2/N2O4 equilibrium mixture at temps above -10°. d15 2.05. bp760 47.0°; bp100 7.0°; bp10 -20°. Dipole moment 1.39. Freely sol in chloroform without appreciable decomposition. Less sol in carbon tetrachloride. Chloroform solns may be stored at -20° for as long as one week without excessive decompn.

Use

As nitrating agent in chloroform soln.