Trinitramide
Encyclopedia
Trinitramide is a compound of nitrogen
and oxygen
with the molecular formula N(NO2)3. The compound was detected and described in 2010 by researchers at the Royal Institute of Technology
(KTH) in Sweden
.
Earlier, there had been speculation whether trinitramide could exist. Theoretical calculations by Montgomery and Michels in 1993 showed that the compound was likely to be stable.
Trinitramide has a potential use as one of the most efficient and least polluting of rocket propellant oxidizers
, as it is chlorine
-free.
This is potentially an important development, because the Tsiolkovsky rocket equation
implies that even small improvements in rocket delta-v
can make large improvements in the size of practical rocket launch payloads.
The density impulse (impulse per volume) of a trinitramide based propellant could be 20 to 30 per cent better than most existing formulations , however the specific impulse (impulse per mass) of formulations with liquid oxygen is higher .
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
and oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
with the molecular formula N(NO2)3. The compound was detected and described in 2010 by researchers at the Royal Institute of Technology
Royal Institute of Technology
The Royal Institute of Technology is a university in Stockholm, Sweden. KTH was founded in 1827 as Sweden's first polytechnic and is one of Scandinavia's largest institutions of higher education in technology. KTH accounts for one-third of Sweden’s technical research and engineering education...
(KTH) in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
Earlier, there had been speculation whether trinitramide could exist. Theoretical calculations by Montgomery and Michels in 1993 showed that the compound was likely to be stable.
Trinitramide has a potential use as one of the most efficient and least polluting of rocket propellant oxidizers
Rocket propellant
Rocket propellant is mass that is stored in some form of propellant tank, prior to being used as the propulsive mass that is ejected from a rocket engine in the form of a fluid jet to produce thrust. A fuel propellant is often burned with an oxidizer propellant to produce large volumes of very hot...
, as it is chlorine
Chlorine
Chlorine is the chemical element with atomic number 17 and symbol Cl. It is the second lightest halogen, found in the periodic table in group 17. The element forms diatomic molecules under standard conditions, called dichlorine...
-free.
This is potentially an important development, because the Tsiolkovsky rocket equation
Tsiolkovsky rocket equation
The Tsiolkovsky rocket equation, or ideal rocket equation is an equation that is useful for considering vehicles that follow the basic principle of a rocket: where a device that can apply acceleration to itself by expelling part of its mass with high speed and moving due to the conservation of...
implies that even small improvements in rocket delta-v
Delta-v
In astrodynamics a Δv or delta-v is a scalar which takes units of speed. It is a measure of the amount of "effort" that is needed to change from one trajectory to another by making an orbital maneuver....
can make large improvements in the size of practical rocket launch payloads.
The density impulse (impulse per volume) of a trinitramide based propellant could be 20 to 30 per cent better than most existing formulations , however the specific impulse (impulse per mass) of formulations with liquid oxygen is higher .