PARACYANOGEN REEXAMINED

Samples of paracyanogen were prepared by the pyrolysis of silver cyani de, the photolysis of cyanogen, and by sputtering a carbon electrode i n a nitrogen plasma. This work was undertaken to establish whether the se materials are alike and to derive structural information on the bas is of FT-IR, C-13-MAS-NMR, and through temperature-programmed thermal decomposition. Paracyanogen derived from the above sources is indeed a like spectrally and thermally. Paracyanogen is a polymer that incorpor ates carbon, mostly sp2, and nitrogen in a disordered structure. Cyano gen is the main volatile component released in the thermal decompositi on of paracyanogen. The cyanogen released was identified by FT-IR and MS. The rate of release reaches a maximum at ca. 700-degrees-C. Paracy anogen is not an appropriate carbon nitride precursor because of its l imited thermal stability. (C) 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.