3,4-Bis(4'-nitrofurazan-3'-yl)furoxan: a Melt Cast Powerful Explosive and a Valuable Building Block in 1,2,5-Oxadiazole Chemistry

The results of our studies on the reactivity of 3,4-bis(4'-nitrofurazan-3'- yl)furoxan (BNFF), with some O- and N-nucleophiles are presented. It is shown that both nitro groups of BNFF can be easily replaced by nucleophiles. Depending on the identity of the nucleophile, BNFF may be transformed into two types of 1,2,5-oxadiazole derivatives, notably 4-R substituted bis(4-R-furazan-3-yl) furoxanes or 7-R substituted 7H(7R)-tris[1,2,5]oxadiazolo[3,4-b:3',4-d:3",4"-f]]azepine-1-oxides - a new heterocyclic system comprised of an azepine ring annelated with three 1,2,5-oxadiazole rings.