Structure of Hydrazoic Acid and Its Azide Derivatives

Chemistry
When we think of nitrogen and hydrogen, we are likely to think first of ammonia, NH3. But what of hydrazoic acid? Hydrazoic acid is HN3. It looks to be the opposite of ammonia. What is the chemical structure of hydrazoic acid and its azide derivatives? And why are they of importance to us? Valence Consideration When we think of hydrogen, we think of a +1 valence, though at times it is assigned a –1 valence. Similarly, nitrogen ordinarily assumes either a +3 or a +5 valence. Both ammonia and hydrazoic acid exhibit a +3 valence for nitrogen. All of this is well and good, but what is the structure of ammonia? of hydrazoic acid and the azides? In both instances, we may be surprised that what we imagine may not…
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The Quintessential Aromatic Hydrocarbon Benzene (Pt.1)

Chemistry
[caption id="attachment_14959" align="alignright" width="440"] Cyclohexane - Chair Form[/caption] Benzene? What's that? Living creatures universally share an important characteristic: they all are constructed of carbon-containing compounds. For that reason, chemists call such compounds organic. Now the term organic has taken on additional meaning. Compounds that are similar, but not found in nature, are also called organic compounds. One group of organic compounds, whether found in nature or not, possess special properties—chemical and physical—that put them into a category apart. Once it was thought such compounds were distinguishable by smell or aroma. Each was labeled an aromatic, and—the property itself—aromaticity. Simple Hydrocarbons The simplest hydrocarbon1 is methane (CH4)—a gas. It possesses a tetrahedral structure, with a carbon atom at its center and four hydrogen atoms at the corners (See Figure 1). Since…
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Organic Chemistry: Pushing Electrons

Chemistry
Scientists desire to solve complex problems with exact precision, but sometimes it just is not practical. Simplifying is necessary. For the organic chemist, one form of simplifying is the idea of pushing electrons. To illustrate, high school physics instructors introduce the concept of massless strings and frictionless pulleys. No such things exist. Still, this fiction enables the beginning student to isolate what is important. Spark Notes informs us that college entrance examinations generally employ such contrivances. Constructs, Artifices, Contrivances Physicists are not the only ones to employ constructs and contrivances to simplify problems and arrive at an answer. The organic chemist must understand very complex compounds and the reactions leading to their formation. One of the best known contrivances is that of pushing electrons or pushing arrows. The great thing…
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