Beryllium nitride, Be
3N
2, is a
nitride
In chemistry, a nitride is an inorganic compound of nitrogen. The "nitride" anion, N3- ion, is very elusive but compounds of nitride are numerous, although rarely naturally occuring. Some nitrides have a find applications, such as wear-resistant ...
of
beryllium
Beryllium is a chemical element with the symbol Be and atomic number 4. It is a steel-gray, strong, lightweight and brittle alkaline earth metal. It is a divalent element that occurs naturally only in combination with other elements to form mi ...
. It can be prepared from the elements at high temperature (1100–1500 °C);
[Egon Wiberg, Arnold Frederick Holleman (2001) ''Inorganic Chemistry'', Elsevier ] unlike
beryllium azide
Beryllium azide, , is an inorganic compound. It is a beryllium salt of hydrazoic acid .
Synthesis
Beryllium azide has been synthesised by the reaction of beryllium chloride with neat trimethylsilyl azide:
:
Alternatively, dimethylberyllium r ...
or BeN
6, it decomposes in vacuum into beryllium and nitrogen.
It is readily hydrolysed forming
beryllium hydroxide
Beryllium hydroxide, Be(OH)2, is an amphoteric hydroxide, dissolving in both acids and alkalis. Industrially, it is produced as a by-product in the extraction of beryllium metal from the ores beryl and bertrandite. The natural pure beryllium hydro ...
and
ammonia
Ammonia is an inorganic compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . A stable binary hydride, and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinct pungent smell. Biologically, it is a common nitrogenous was ...
.
It has two polymorphic forms cubic α-Be
3N
2 with a defect anti-fluorite structure, and hexagonal β-Be
3N
2.
It reacts with
silicon nitride
Silicon nitride is a chemical compound of the elements silicon and nitrogen. is the most thermodynamically stable and commercially important of the silicon nitrides, and the term "silicon nitride" commonly refers to this specific composition. It ...
, Si
3N
4 in a stream of ammonia at 1800–1900 °C to form BeSiN
2.
Preparation
Beryllium nitride is prepared by heating beryllium metal powder with dry nitrogen in an oxygen-free atmosphere in temperatures between 700 and 1400 °C.
: 3Be + N
2 → Be
3N
2
Uses
It is used in
refractory
In materials science, a refractory material or refractory is a material that is resistant to decomposition by heat, pressure, or chemical attack, and retains strength and form at high temperatures. Refractories are polycrystalline, polyphase, ...
ceramics
[Hugh O. Pierson, 1996, Handbook of Refractory Carbides and Nitrides: Properties, Characteristics, Processing, and Applications, William Andrew Inc.,] as well as in
nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device used to initiate and control a fission nuclear chain reaction or nuclear fusion reactions. Nuclear reactors are used at nuclear power plants for electricity generation and in nuclear marine propulsion. Heat from nu ...
s and to produce radioactive
carbon-14
Carbon-14, C-14, or radiocarbon, is a radioactive isotope of carbon with an atomic nucleus containing 6 protons and 8 neutrons. Its presence in organic materials is the basis of the radiocarbon dating method pioneered by Willard Libby and coll ...
for tracer applications.
Reactions
Beryllium nitride reacts with mineral acids producing
ammonia
Ammonia is an inorganic compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . A stable binary hydride, and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinct pungent smell. Biologically, it is a common nitrogenous was ...
and the corresponding salts of the acids:
: Be
3N
2 + 6 HCl → 3 BeCl
2 + 2 NH
3
In strong alkali solutions, a
beryllate
Beryllium compounds
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