Furoxan or 1,2,5-oxadiazole 2-oxide is a

heterocycle A heterocyclic compound or ring structure is a cyclic compound that has atoms of at least two different chemical element, elements as members of its ring(s). Heterocyclic chemistry is the branch of organic chemistry dealing with the synthesis ...

of the

isoxazole Isoxazole is an electron-rich azole with an oxygen atom next to the nitrogen. It is also the class of compounds containing this ring. Isoxazolyl is the univalent radical derived from isoxazole. Occurrence Isoxazole rings are found in some natural ...

family and an

amine oxide In chemistry, an amine oxide, also known as an amine ''N''-oxide or simply ''N''-oxide, is a chemical compound that contains the functional group , a nitrogen-oxygen coordinate covalent bond with three additional hydrogen and/or substituent-grou ...

derivative of

furazan Furazan, or 1,2,5-oxadiazole, is a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound consisting of a five-atom ring containing 1 oxygen and 2 nitrogen atoms. The furazan ring system is also found in the steroid furazabol. Furazan and its derivatives are obt ...

. It is a

nitric oxide Nitric oxide (nitrogen oxide or nitrogen monoxide) is a colorless gas with the formula . It is one of the principal oxides of nitrogen. Nitric oxide is a free radical: it has an unpaired electron, which is sometimes denoted by a dot in its che ...

donor. As such, furoxan and its derivatives are actively researched as potential new

drug A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...

s and insensitive high density explosives. Ipramidil is an example. Furoxanes can be formed by

dimer Dimer may refer to: * Dimer (chemistry), a chemical structure formed from two similar sub-units ** Protein dimer, a protein quaternary structure ** d-dimer * Dimer model, an item in statistical mechanics, based on ''domino tiling'' * Julius Dimer ...

ization of

nitrile oxide In organic chemistry, a nitrile is any organic compound that has a functional group. The prefix ''cyano-'' is used interchangeably with the term ''nitrile'' in industrial literature. Nitriles are found in many useful compounds, including meth ...

References

Amine oxides Oxadiazoles {{heterocyclic-stub