The cadmium complex containing 5-aminotetrazole ligands, [Cd(ATZ)~4 (H~2O)~2](PA)~2·2H~2O, was synthesized and characterized by instrumental analysis and X-ray crystal structure determination. The results indicate that the title compound is centro-symmetrical and the cadmium ion is located at the symmetry center. Each cadmium ion is coordinated by two oxygen atoms of the coordination water molecules and four nitrogen atoms of 5-aminotetrazole. The cadmium ion has a distorted octahedron configuration with hexacoordination. There are lots of hydrogen bonds among molecules in the crystal so that it will enhance the stability of the whole crystal structure. Thermal decomposition mechanism of the title compound is proposed based on the DSC and TG-DTG analyses.

Key words: CADMIUM COMPLEX, TETRAZOLE P, CRYSTAL STRUCTURE, THERMAL DECOMPOSITION, REACTION MECHANISM, DIFFERENTIAL SCANNING CALORIMETRY