Structures and stability of N₁₃ cluster

Quantum chemical studies for the nine N₁₃ isomers with low spin were carried out at the UHF/6-31G*, UB3LYP/6-31G* and UMP2/6-311G* levels of theory. The most stable N₁₃ isomer is structure 1 with C_2v symmetry, which contains two separated pentazole rings connected by three nitrogen atoms. The results show that structures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 which are composed of the pentazole ring are more stable than the open chain structure 6 and structures 8 and 9 which contain the four- and six-membered rings. This suggests that the pentazole ring is a fundamental stable structural unit, which is applicable not only for the even-numbered nitrogen clusters, but also for the large odd-numbered clusters.