Collisional activation and neutralization-reionization mass spectrometric experiments provide evidence for the gas phase existence of the symmetrical nitrogen disulfide radical (S
![](/images/glyphs/BOQ.GIF)
N
![](/images/glyphs/BOQ.GIF)
S,
2A
1) as well as the corresponding cation (S
![](/images/glyphs/BOQ.GIF)
N
![](/images/glyphs/BOQ.GIF)
S
+,
1 Σ
+g). Thiadiazolothiadiazole has been employed as the precursor. Ab initio molecular orbital calculations at the QCISD(T)/6-311 + + G(3df, 2p)//MP2/6-311 + + G(d, p) + ZPE level lead to the following thermochemical data: heats of formation at 0
K (Δ
H0f,0 in
kcal/mol): S
![](/images/glyphs/BOQ.GIF)
N
![](/images/glyphs/BOQ.GIF)
S: 66 ± 3, N
![](/images/glyphs/BOQ.GIF)
S−S: 85 ± 3, S
![](/images/glyphs/BOQ.GIF)
N
![](/images/glyphs/BOQ.GIF)
S
+: 240 ± 3, N
![](/images/glyphs/BOQ.GIF)
S−S
+: 311 ± 3 and HS−N
![](/images/glyphs/BOQ.GIF)
S: 59 ± 3; proton affinity PA(SNS) = 169 ± 3
kcal/mol and ionization energies IE
a(SNS) = 7.5 ± 0.2 eV and IE
a(HS−N
![](/images/glyphs/BOQ.GIF)
S) = 8.7 ± 0.2 eV.