Chemical stability of polynitroaliphatic compounds

Bachmann and Biermann reported the synthesis of nitroalkanes from the thermolysis of acyl nitrates. The thermolysis of nitrite and nitrate esters over an asbestos catalyst is also reported to yield nitroalkanes.  

Olah and co-workers reported the synthesis of nitroalkanes and nitroalkenes from the nitrodesilylation of alkylsilanes and allylsilanes, respectively, with nitronium salts. 

Nitroacetylenes are generally unstable and very explosive and so they have been little studied. Schmitt and co-workers used the nitrodesilylation of trialkylsilylacetylenes with both nitronium salts and nitryl fluoride to obtain nitroacetylenes. Dinitrogen pentoxide has also been used for the nitrodesilylation of trialkylsilylacetylenes. Nitrodestannylation of allylsilanes has also been reported.  

Diels-Alder reactions using highly reactive polynitroalkenes have been reported. These include cycloaddition reactions with 1,1-dinitroethene, 1,1,2,2-tetranitroethylene and various fluoro-1,2-dinitroethylenes.  

The stability of polynitroaliphatic compounds to acids, bases and nucleophiles is often linked to the presence of an acidic o -proton(s) which may allow various resonance structures to lead to rearrangement or decomposition. Additionally, the presence of two or more nitro groups on the same carbon atom greatly increases the susceptibility of the carbon-nitrogen bonds to nucleophilic attack. 

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