lithium nitride

Information about lithium nitride

Lithium nitride
Other namestrilithium nitride
Identifiers
CAS number26134-62-3
Properties
Molecular formulaLi3N
Molar mass34.83 g/mol
Density1.270 g/cm³
Melting point 813°C
Solubility in other solventsreacts violently
Except where noted otherwise, data are given for
materials in their standard state
(at 25 C, 100 kPa)
Lithium nitride is a compound of lithium and nitrogen with the formula Li3N. It is the only stable alkali metal nitride. The solid is a red or purple color, has a high melting point and is ionic. It has an unusual crystal structure which consists of two different types of layer, one sheet, composition Li2N, containing 6 coordinate lithium ions and the other consisting only of lithium ions. Solid lithium nitride is a fast ion conductor and has the highest conductivity of any inorganic lithium salt. It has been studied extensively as a solid electrolyte and an anode material for use in batteries.[1]. It can be formed by direct reaction of the elements, either by burning lithium metal in pure nitrogen gas or by reacting nitrogen gas with lithium dissolved in liquid sodium metal[2]. The second method gives a purer product. Lithium nitride reacts violently with water to produce ammonia:

Li3N (s) + 3 H2O (l) → 3 LiOH (aq) + NH3 (g)

All ionic nitrides display this pattern, due to the N3− ion being an extremely strong Bronsted base. It easily qualifies as a superbase. It is, in fact, a stronger base than the hydride ion, so deprotonates hydrogen itself:

Li3N (s) + 2 H2 (g) → LiNH2 (s) + 2 LiH (s).

Lithium nitride is being investigated as a potential storage medium for hydrogen gas, as the reaction is reversible at 270oC. Up to 11.5% by weight absorption of hydrogen has been achieved[3].

References

  • WebElements
  • Greenwood, N. N.; Earnshaw, A. (1997). Chemistry of the Elements, 2nd Edition, Oxford:Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN 0-7506-3365-4. 
1. ^ US patent 4888258 (1989)
2. ^ Barker M.G., Blake A.J, Edwards P.P., Gregory D.H., Hamor T. A., Siddons D. J., Smith S. E. Chem. Commun., 1999, 1187–1188
3. ^ Zhitao Xiong, Jizhong Luo, Jianyi Lin and Kuang Lee Tan. Nature, November 21, 2002.
CAS registry numbers are unique numerical identifiers for chemical compounds, polymers, biological sequences, mixtures and alloys. They are also referred to as CAS numbers, CAS RNs or CAS #s.
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A chemical formula is a concise way of expressing information about the atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound. A chemical formula is also a short way of showing how a chemical reaction occurs.
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Molar mass, symbol M,[1] is the mass of one mole of a substance (chemical element or chemical compound).[2] It is a physical property which is characteristic of each pure substance.
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In physics, density is mass m per unit volume V—how heavy something is compared to its size. A small, heavy object, such as a rock or a lump of lead, is denser than a lighter object of the same size or a larger object of the same weight, such as pieces of
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The melting point of a crystalline solid is the temperature range at which it changes state from solid to liquid. Although the phrase would suggest a specific temperature and is commonly and incorrectly used as such in most textbooks and literature, most crystalline compounds
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Solubility is a physical property referring to the ability for a given substance, the solute, to dissolve in a solvent.[1] It is measured in terms of the maximum amount of solute dissolved in a solvent at equilibrium. The resulting solution is called a saturated solution.
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standard state of a material is its state at 1 bar (100 kilopascals exactly). This pressure was changed from 1 atm (101.325 kilopascals) by IUPAC in 1990.[1] The standard state of a material can be defined at any given temperature, most commonly 25 degrees Celsius,
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Lithium (IPA: /ˈlɪθiəm/) is a chemical element with the symbol Li and atomic number 3. It is a soft alkali metal with a silver-white color.
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3, 5, 4, 2
(strongly acidic oxide)
Electronegativity 3.04 (Pauling scale)
Ionization energies
(more) 1st: 1402.3 kJmol−1
2nd: 2856 kJmol−1
3rd: 4578.1 kJmol−1

Atomic radius 65 pm
Atomic radius (calc.
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formula (plural: formulae, formulæ or formulas) is a concise way of expressing information symbolically (as in a mathematical or chemical formula), or a general relationship between quantities.
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The alkali metals are a series of elements comprising Group 1 (IUPAC style) of the periodic table: lithium (Li), sodium (Na), potassium (K), rubidium (Rb), caesium (Cs), and francium (Fr).
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Fast ion conductors, also known as solid electrolytes, are solid state electrical conductors which conduct due to the movement of ions through voids in their crystal lattice.
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Sodium (IPA: /ˈsəʊdiəm/) is a chemical element which has the symbol Na (Latin: natrium), atomic number 11, atomic mass 22.9898 g/mol, common oxidation number +1.
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Water is a common chemical substance that is essential to all known forms of life.[1] In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or state, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor.
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Ammonia is a compound with the formula NH3. It is normally encountered as a gas with a characteristic pungent odor. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of the planet as a precursor to foodstuffs and fertilizers.
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    In chemistry, a base is most commonly thought of as a substance that can accept protons. This refers to the Brønsted-Lowry theory of acids and bases. Alternate definitions of bases include electron pair donors (Lewis), and as sources of hydroxide anions (Arrhenius).
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      In chemistry, a superbase is an extremely strong base. There is no commonly accepted definition for what qualifies as a superbase, but most chemists would accept sodium hydroxide as a 'benchmark' base just as sulfuric acid is a 'benchmark' acid (see superacid).
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      Hydride is the name given to the negative ion of hydrogen, H−. Although this ion does not exist except in extraordinary conditions, the term hydride is widely applied to describe compounds of hydrogen with other elements, particularly those of
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      Hydrogen storage is the main technological problem of a viable hydrogen economy. Some attention has been given to the role of hydrogen to provide grid energy storage for unpredictable energy sources, like wind power, but most research into hydrogen storage is focused on storing
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      1, −1
      (amphoteric oxide)
      Electronegativity 2.20 (Pauling scale) More

      Atomic radius 25 pm
      Atomic radius (calc.) 53 pm
      Covalent radius 37 pm
      Van der Waals radius 120 pm
      Miscellaneous

      Thermal conductivity (300 K) 180.
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