A Nitric Oxide-Releasing Polydiazeniumdiolate Derived from Acetonitrile

Acetonitrile, frequently used as a solvent in reactions of nitric oxide (NO) with amines and other nucleophiles to introduce the [N(O)NO]^- (diazeniumdiolate) functional group, has itself been shown to react with NO in the presence of strong base to yield methane trisdiazeniumdiolate (1), presumably via an intermediate trisdiazeniumdiolated imidate. Aqueous hydrolysis of 1 does not follow simple first-order kinetics and produces mixtures of NO and nitrous oxide in ratios that vary with solution pH.