Ionization potentials of TNAZ and its decomposition products

The ionization potentials (IPs) of 1,3,3-trinitroazetidine (TNAZ) and its thermal decomposition products were determined using charge-transfer bracketing experiments in a Fourier transform mass spectrometer. The products included: 1-nitroso-3,3-dinitroazetidine (NDNAZ); 3,3-dinitroazetidine (DNAZ); and the C3H3N3O4 fragment resulting from loss of HONO from TNAZ. The IP of TNAZ is 10.36 (±0.1) eV, the IP of NDNAZ is 9.52 (±0.1) eV, and the IPs of DNAZ and the C3H3N3O4 fragment are each 9.8 (±0.1) eV. These results are used to estimate relative product yields in previous TNAZ decomposition experiments which employed mass spectrometry for product detection.