Calcium nitride
Calcium nitride is the inorganic compound with the chemical formula Ca3N2.[1] It exists in various forms (isomorphs), α-calcium nitride being more commonly encountered.
![]() Unit cell containing 31 nitride ions (red) and 48 calcium ions (white). Each nitride is surrounded by six calcium, and each calcium by four nitride ions. | |
Names | |
---|---|
IUPAC name
Calcium nitride | |
Other names
tricalcium dinitride | |
Identifiers | |
ECHA InfoCard | 100.031.435 ![]() |
EC Number |
|
PubChem CID |
|
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
|
Properties | |
Ca3N2 | |
Molar mass | 148.248 g·mol−1 |
Appearance | red-brown crystalline solid |
Density | 2.670 g/cm3 2.63 g/cm3 (17 °C) |
Melting point | 1,195 °C (2,183 °F; 1,468 K) |
decomposes | |
Structure | |
Cubic, cI80 | |
Ia-3, No. 206 | |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). | |
![]() ![]() ![]() | |
Infobox references | |
Structure
α-Calcium nitride adopts an anti-bixbyite structure, 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+). In this structure, Ca2+ occupies tetrahedral sites, and the nitride centres occupy two different types of octahedral sites.[2]
Synthesis and reactions
Calcium nitride is formed along with the oxide, CaO, when calcium burns in air. It can be produced by direct reaction of the elements:[3]
- 3 Ca + N2 → Ca3N2
It reacts with water or even the moisture in air to give ammonia and calcium hydroxide:[4]
- Ca3N2 + 6 H2O → 3 Ca(OH)2 + 2 NH3
Like sodium oxide, calcium nitride absorbs hydrogen above 350 °C:
- Ca3N2 + 2 H2 → 2 CaNH + CaH2
General references
- Greenwood, Norman N.; Earnshaw, Alan (1997). Chemistry of the Elements (2nd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN 978-0-08-037941-8.
References
- Eagleson, M. (1994). Concise Encyclopedia Chemistry. Walter de Gruyter. p. 160. ISBN 3-11-011451-8.
Calcium nitride.
- Wells, A.F. (1984) Structural Inorganic Chemistry, Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19-855370-6.
- P. Ehrlich “Calcium, Strontium, Barium Nitrides Ca3N2, Sr3N2, Ba3N2” in Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry, 2nd Ed. Edited by G. Brauer, Academic Press, 1963, NY. Vol. 1. p. 940-1.
- Heyns, A. (1998). "The Vibrational Spectra and Decomposition of α-Calcium Nitride (α-Ca3N2) and Magnesium Nitride (Mg3N2)". Journal of Solid State Chemistry. 137 (1): 33–41. Bibcode:1998JSSCh.137...33H. doi:10.1006/jssc.1997.7672.
External links
NH3 N2H4 |
He(N2)11 | ||||||||||||||||
Li3N | Be3N2 | BN | β-C3N4 g-C3N4 CxNy |
N2 | NxOy | NF3 | Ne | ||||||||||
Na3N | Mg3N2 | AlN | Si3N4 | PN P3N5 |
SxNy SN S4N4 |
NCl3 | Ar | ||||||||||
K | Ca3N2 | ScN | TiN | VN | CrN Cr2N |
MnxNy | FexNy | CoN | Ni3N | CuN | Zn3N2 | GaN | Ge3N4 | As | Se | NBr3 | Kr |
Rb | Sr3N2 | YN | ZrN | NbN | β-Mo2N | Tc | Ru | Rh | PdN | Ag3N | CdN | InN | Sn | Sb | Te | NI3 | Xe |
Cs | Ba3N2 | Hf3N4 | TaN | WN | Re | Os | Ir | Pt | Au | Hg3N2 | TlN | Pb | BiN | Po | At | Rn | |
Fr | Ra3N2 | Rf | Db | Sg | Bh | Hs | Mt | Ds | Rg | Cn | Nh | Fl | Mc | Lv | Ts | Og | |
↓ | |||||||||||||||||
La | CeN | Pr | Nd | Pm | Sm | Eu | GdN | Tb | Dy | Ho | Er | Tm | Yb | Lu | |||
Ac | Th | Pa | UN | Np | Pu | Am | Cm | Bk | Cf | Es | Fm | Md | No | Lr |