Trinitrogen also known as the azide radical is an unstable molecule composed of three
nitrogen
Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at se ...
atoms. Two arrangements are possible: a linear form with double bonds and charge transfer, and a cyclic form. Both forms are highly unstable. More-stable derivatives exist, such as when it acts as a
ligand
In coordination chemistry, a ligand is an ion or molecule (functional group) that binds to a central metal atom to form a coordination complex. The bonding with the metal generally involves formal donation of one or more of the ligand's electr ...
, and it may participate in
azido nitration, which is a reaction between
sodium azide and
ammonium cerium nitrate.
The linear form of N
3 was discovered in 1956 by B. A. Thrush
by
photolysis
Photodissociation, photolysis, photodecomposition, or photofragmentation is a chemical reaction in which molecules of a chemical compound are broken down by photons. It is defined as the interaction of one or more photons with one target molecule. ...
of
hydrogen azide.
As a linear and symmetric molecule, it has
D∞h symmetry, with a nitrogen–nitrogen
bond length averaging 1.8115 Å. The first
excited electronic state, A
2Σ
u, is 4.56 eV above the ground state.
[
The cyclic form was identified in 2003 by N. Hansen and A. M. Wodtke using ]ultraviolet
Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nanometer, nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 Hertz, PHz) to 400 nm (750 Hertz, THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than ...
photolysis of chlorine azide
Chlorine azide () is an inorganic compound that was discovered in 1908 by Friedrich Raschig.
Concentrated is notoriously unstable and may spontaneously detonate at any temperature.
Preparation and handling
Chlorine azide is prepared by passing ...
. Although the reaction yielded mostly the linear form, about 20% of the molecules were cyclic.
References
External links
*{{Commonscatinline
Homonuclear triatomic molecules
Nitrogen compounds
Allotropes of nitrogen