Calcium nitride

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Calcium nitride
IUPAC name Calcium nitride
Other names tricalcium dinitride
Identifiers
CAS number [12013-82-0]
PubChem 736837
EINECS number 234-592-9
Properties
Molecular formula Ca3N2
Molar mass 148.25 g mol-1
Appearance red-brown crystalline solid
Density 2670 kg m-3
Melting point

1195 °C, 1468 K, 2183 °F
Except where noted otherwise, data are given for
materials in their standard state
(at 25 °C, 100 kPa)
Infobox disclaimer and references

Calcium nitride is a red-brown, crystalline solid made up of calcium and nitrogen. Its chemical formula is Ca3N2.[1] α-Calcium nitride is the commonly encountered form and this has an anti-bixbyite structure and is similar to Mn2O3 except that the positions of the ions are reversed, calcium (Ca2+) take the oxide (O2-) positions and nitride ions (N3-) the manganese (Mn3+).
Calcium nitride is formed along with the oxide, CaO, when calcium burns in air. It can be produced by direct reaction of the elements:
3Ca + N2 → Ca3N2

In air it decomposes to give ammonia and calcium hydroxide:

Ca3N2+ 6H2O → 3Ca(OH)2 + 2NH3

It absorbs hydrogen above 350oC:[2]

Ca3N2 + 2H2 → 2CaNH + CaH2

[edit] General references

  • Greenwood, N. N.; Earnshaw, A. (1997). Chemistry of the Elements, 2nd Edition, Oxford:Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN 0-7506-3365-4. 

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Mary Eagleson (1994), Concise Encyclopedia Chemistry, Walter de Gruyter, ISBN 3110114518, <http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN3110114518&id=Owuv-c9L_IMC&pg=PA160&lpg=PA160&ots=zUvZ-shMj9&dq=%22Calcium+nitride%22&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html&sig=RdkdyoTgAisqrZokvh5NGfjylik> 
  2. ^ Heyns A. M.,Prinsloo L. C., Range K.J.,Stassen M. J. solid state chem. 1998, vol. 137, 1, 33

[edit] External links

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