Germanium(IV) nitride is an
inorganic compound with the chemical formula Ge
3N
4. It can be produced through the reaction of
germanium 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 wa ...
:
:3 Ge + 4 NH
3 → Ge
3N
4 + 6 H
2
Structure
In its pure state, germanium(IV) nitride is a colorless, inert solid that crystallizes in many polymorphs, of which the most stable is the
trigonal
In crystallography, the hexagonal crystal family is one of the six crystal families, which includes two crystal systems (hexagonal and trigonal) and two lattice systems (hexagonal and rhombohedral). While commonly confused, the trigonal crystal ...
β-form (space group ''P''31''c''). In this structure, the germanium atoms are tetrahedrally coordinated while the nitrogen atoms are trigonal planar. The γ-form, which forms under high pressure, has a
spinel structure The spinels are any of a class of minerals of general formulation which crystallise in the cubic (isometric) crystal system, with the X anions (typically chalcogens, like oxygen and sulfur) arranged in a cubic close-packed lattice and the cation ...
.
References
{{Nitrides
Germanium(IV) compounds
Nitrides