Copper(II) Chlorate Complexes: The Renaissance of a Forgotten and Misjudged Energetic Anion.

A convenient synthetic route toward new copper(II) chlorate complexes with potential use in modern advanced ignition or initiation systems is described. Obtained compounds were not only accurately characterized (XRD, IR, UV/Vis EA and DTA) but also investigated for their energetic character (sensitivities, initiation capability and laser ignition). The copper 4-aminotriazolyl chlorate complex showed excellent initiation of PETN, while also being thermally stable and safe to handle. Solid-state UV-Vis measurements were performed to get a possible insight toward the laser initiation mechanism. In contrast to expectations, the presented copper(II) chlorate energetic coordination compounds show manageable sensitivities that can be tamed or boosted by the appropriate choice of nitrogen-rich ligands.