StereoView of ZAAC Cover Art

The cover picture shows a stereoview of the formation of tetramethylimidazoium tetrazolide through the cycloaddition reaction of the azide anion to the 2-cyano-1,3,4,5-tetramethylimidazolium cation. The tetrazolide moiety, an isostere for carboxylate, builds strong, stable, hydrogen bonding networks by incorporation of water molecules of crystallization into solid-state packing motifs. Each molecule of tetramethylimidazoium tetrazolide crystallizes with five water molecules of solvation that encase the tetrazolide ring in an ice-like hydrogen-bond matrix. This “ice” matrix extends throughout the crystal, and remains stable and ordered under the influence of the tetrazolide group at room temperature - well above the normal melting point of ice. This depiction was created using Blender 3D. A dynamic view of the actual crystal packing is available here.