azotanu

Azotanu is a fictional chemical concept used in science fiction and speculative chemistry to denote a nitrogen-oxide–rich species. It is not an established chemical name and has no verified experimental existence. The word combines “azot-” from the historic term for nitrogen and the common suffix -anu found in imaginative inorganic nomenclature. In many worldbuilding texts, azotanu is imagined as a highly energetic compound comprising extensive nitrogen-oxygen bonding, capable of forming a family of salts with various cations. Some depictions treat azotanu as a polynitroso or polyoxidic anion, while others describe a neutral molecule with a dense N–O network. The fictional properties typically ascribed include high oxygen content, strong oxidizing power, and instability under standard conditions, which makes it a dramatic plot device for propulsion or weaponization in invented settings.

In real-world chemistry, there is no recognized substance known as azotanu, and no peer-reviewed data on synthesis, structure, or properties. The term is largely confined to imaginative contexts, though it occasionally appears in discussions about hypothetical nitrogen-oxygen chemistry or as a teaching example of how new compounds might be named in IUPAC-inspired worldbuilding. For readers seeking real nitrogen-oxygen species, references include nitrates, nitrosyls, azides, and related oxides, none of which are equivalent to the fictional azotanu.