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"We follow the scientists around and look over their shoulders. They're watching their feet: provable mistakes are bad for them. We're looking as far ahead as we can, and we don't get penalized for mistakes."
- Larry Niven

Pentavalent Nitrogen  
  A high explosive formed from nitrogen.  

"By the way, what is that explosive-or is it something beyond Tellurian chemistry?"

"It's structure should be clear to you, although you probably could not prepare it upon Tellus because of your high temperature. It is nothing but nitrogen -- twenty-six atoms of nitrogen combined to form one molecule of what you would call -- N-twenty six?"

"Wow!" Stevens whistled. "Crystalline, pentavalent nitrogen -- no wonder it's violent!"

Technovelgy from Spacehounds of IPC, by E.E. 'Doc' Smith.
Published by Amazing Stories in 1931
Additional resources -

Thanks to Winchell Chung for this one.

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Additional resources:
  More Ideas and Technology from Spacehounds of IPC
  More Ideas and Technology by E.E. 'Doc' Smith
  Tech news articles related to Spacehounds of IPC
  Tech news articles related to works by E.E. 'Doc' Smith

Pentavalent Nitrogen-related news articles:
  - Polymeric Nitrogen: Science Fiction Explosive

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