Lanthanum nitride is a binary inorganic compound of

lanthanum Lanthanum is a chemical element with the symbol La and atomic number 57. It is a soft, ductile, silvery-white metal that tarnishes slowly when exposed to air. It is the eponym of the lanthanide series, a group of 15 similar elements between lant ...

and

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 ...

with the chemical formula .

Preparation

Lanthanum nitride can be prepared from the reaction of nitrogen and lanthanum trihydride: : It can also be prepared from the reaction of

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 wa ...

and lanthanum trihydride: : The reaction of nitrogen and lanthanum amalgam can also work: :

Physical properties

Lanthanum nitride forms black powder that is insoluble in water. Their crystals are of the cubic system with the ''Fm3m''

space group In mathematics, physics and chemistry, a space group is the symmetry group of an object in space, usually in three dimensions. The elements of a space group (its symmetry operations) are the rigid transformations of an object that leave it uncha ...

. It is paramagnetic.

Chemical properties

Lanthanum nitride reacts with water and moisture from the air: : It reacts with acids: :

Uses

LaN is used as a LED material, magnetic material,

semiconductor A semiconductor is a material which has an electrical conductivity value falling between that of a conductor, such as copper, and an insulator, such as glass. Its resistivity falls as its temperature rises; metals behave in the opposite way. ...

refractory material 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, ...

, dyes, catalyst.

References

{{Nitrides Nitrides Lanthanum compounds Nitrogen compounds