Experimental Detection of Tetranitrogen
Abstract
Tetranitrogen (N4), which has been the subject of great theoretical interest, has been prepared from the N4<SUP ARRANGE="STAGGER">+ 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<SUP ARRANGE="STAGGER">+ and the fragmentation pattern of the 14N2<SUP ARRANGE="STAGGER">15N2 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.
- Publication:
-
Science
- Pub Date:
- January 2002
- DOI:
- 10.1126/science.1067681
- Bibcode:
- 2002Sci...295..480C
- Keywords:
-
- CHEMISTRY