Silver nitride

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Silver nitride
Silver nitride.svg
Names
IUPAC name
Silver(I) nitride
Other names
Fulminating silver
Argentous nitride
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChemSpider
  • InChI=1S/3Ag.N/q3*+1;-3 Yes check.svgY
    Key: XSNQEMWVLMRPFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N Yes check.svgY
  • InChI=1/3Ag.N/q3*+1;-3
    Key: XSNQEMWVLMRPFR-UHFFFAOYAP
  • [Ag+].[Ag+].[Ag+].[N-3]
Properties
Ag3N
Molar mass 337.62
AppearanceBlack solid
Density 9 g/cm3
Boiling point Explodes at 165 °C
Slightly
Solubility Decomposes in acids
Structure
face centered cubic
Thermochemistry
199.1 kJ/mol [1] [ verification needed ]
314.4 kJ/mol [2]
Hazards
Occupational safety and health (OHS/OSH):
Main hazards
Explosive
Flash point Flammable
Safety data sheet (SDS)
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Silver nitride is an explosive chemical compound with symbol Ag3N. It is a black, metallic-looking [3] solid which is formed when silver oxide or silver nitrate [4] is dissolved in concentrated solutions of ammonia, causing formation of the diammine silver complex which subsequently breaks down to Ag3N. The standard free energy of the compound is about +315 kJ/mol, making it an endothermic compound which decomposes explosively to metallic silver and nitrogen gas.

Contents

History

Silver nitride was formerly referred to as fulminating silver, but this can cause confusion with silver fulminate or silver azide, other compounds which have also been referred to by this name. The fulminate and azide compounds do not form from ammoniacal solutions of Ag2O. [2] Fulminating silver was first prepared in 1788 by the French chemist Claude Louis Berthollet. [5] 70 years earlier, in 1716 Johann Kunckel von Löwenstern had already described the preparation. [6]

Properties

Silver nitride is poorly soluble in water, but decomposes in mineral acids; decomposition is explosive in concentrated acids. It also slowly decomposes in air at room temperature and explodes upon heating to 165 °C. [7]

Hazards

Silver nitride is often produced inadvertently during experiments involving silver compounds and ammonia, leading to surprise detonations. Whether silver nitride is formed depends on the concentration of ammonia in the solution. Silver oxide in 1.52 M ammonia solution readily converts to the nitride, while silver oxide in 0.76 M solution does not form nitride. [2] Silver oxide can also react with dry ammonia to form Ag3N. Silver nitride is more dangerous when dry; dry silver nitride is a contact explosive which may detonate from the slightest touch, even a falling water droplet. [2] It is also explosive when wet, although less so, and explosions do not propagate well in wet deposits of the compound. Because of its long-term instability, undetonated deposits of Ag3N will lose their sensitivity over time.

Silver nitride may appear as black crystals, grains, crusts, or mirrorlike deposits on container walls. Suspected deposits may be dissolved by adding dilute ammonia or concentrated ammonium carbonate solution, removing the explosion hazard. [3] [8]

Other uses of the term

The name "silver nitride" is sometimes also used to describe a reflective coating consisting of alternating thin layers of silver metal and silicon nitride. This material is not explosive, and is not a true silver nitride. It is used to coat mirrors and shotguns. [9] [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Explosive</span> Substance that can explode

An explosive is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An explosive charge is a measured quantity of explosive material, which may either be composed solely of one ingredient or be a mixture containing at least two substances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nitrogen</span> Chemical element with atomic number 7 (N)

Nitrogen is a chemical element; it has 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 seventh in total abundance in the Milky Way and the Solar System. At standard temperature and pressure, two atoms of the element bond to form N2, a colourless and odourless diatomic gas. N2 forms about 78% of Earth's atmosphere, making it the most abundant chemical species in air. Because of the volatility of nitrogen compounds, nitrogen is relatively rare in the solid parts of the Earth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nitric acid</span> Highly corrosive mineral acid

Nitric acid is an inorganic compound with the formula HNO3. It is a highly corrosive mineral acid. The compound is colorless, but samples tend to acquire a yellow cast over time due to decomposition into oxides of nitrogen. Most commercially available nitric acid has a concentration of 68% in water. When the solution contains more than 86% HNO3, it is referred to as fuming nitric acid. Depending on the amount of nitrogen dioxide present, fuming nitric acid is further characterized as red fuming nitric acid at concentrations above 86%, or white fuming nitric acid at concentrations above 95%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver</span> Chemical element with atomic number 47 (Ag)

Silver is a chemical element; it has symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. Silver is found in the Earth's crust in the pure, free elemental form, as an alloy with gold and other metals, and in minerals such as argentite and chlorargyrite. Most silver is produced as a byproduct of copper, gold, lead, and zinc refining.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ammonium nitrate</span> Chemical compound with formula NH4NO3

Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound with the formula NH4NO3. It is a white crystalline salt consisting of ions of ammonium and nitrate. It is highly soluble in water and hygroscopic as a solid, although it does not form hydrates. It is predominantly used in agriculture as a high-nitrogen fertilizer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver nitrate</span> Chemical compound

Silver nitrate is an inorganic compound with chemical formula AgNO
3
. It is a versatile precursor to many other silver compounds, such as those used in photography. It is far less sensitive to light than the halides. It was once called lunar caustic because silver was called luna by ancient alchemists who associated silver with the moon. In solid silver nitrate, the silver ions are three-coordinated in a trigonal planar arrangement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lead(II) nitrate</span> Chemical compound

Lead(II) nitrate is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula Pb(NO3)2. It commonly occurs as a colourless crystal or white powder and, unlike most other lead(II) salts, is soluble in water.

In chemistry, azide is a linear, polyatomic anion with the formula N−3 and structure N=N+=N. It is the conjugate base of hydrazoic acid HN3. Organic azides are organic compounds with the formula RN3, containing the azide functional group. The dominant application of azides is as a propellant in air bags.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver fulminate</span> High explosive used in bang snaps

Silver fulminate (AgCNO) is the highly explosive silver salt of fulminic acid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sodium azide</span> Chemical compound

Sodium azide is an inorganic compound with the formula NaN3. This colorless salt is the gas-forming component in some car airbag systems. It is used for the preparation of other azide compounds. It is an ionic substance, is highly soluble in water, and is acutely poisonous.

In chemistry, a nitride is a chemical compound of nitrogen. Nitrides can be inorganic or organic, ionic or covalent. The nitride anion, N3- ion, is very elusive but compounds of nitride are numerous, although rarely naturally occurring. Some nitrides have a found applications, such as wear-resistant coatings (e.g., titanium nitride, TiN), hard ceramic materials (e.g., silicon nitride, Si3N4), and semiconductors (e.g., gallium nitride, GaN). The development of GaN-based light emitting diodes was recognized by the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics. Metal nitrido complexes are also common.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kipp's apparatus</span> Laboratory device for preparing gases

Kipp's apparatus, also called a Kipp generator, is an apparatus designed for preparation of small volumes of gases. It was invented around 1844 by the Dutch pharmacist Petrus Jacobus Kipp and widely used in chemical laboratories and for demonstrations in schools into the second half of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver carbonate</span> Chemical compound

Silver carbonate is the chemical compound with the formula Ag2CO3. This salt is yellow but typical samples are grayish due to the presence of elemental silver. It is poorly soluble in water, like most transition metal carbonates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver azide</span> Chemical compound

Silver azide is the chemical compound with the formula AgN3. It is a silver(I) salt of hydrazoic acid. It forms a colorless crystals. Like most azides, it is a primary explosive.

The chemical element nitrogen is one of the most abundant elements in the universe and can form many compounds. It can take several oxidation states; but the most common oxidation states are -3 and +3. Nitrogen can form nitride and nitrate ions. It also forms a part of nitric acid and nitrate salts. Nitrogen compounds also have an important role in organic chemistry, as nitrogen is part of proteins, amino acids and adenosine triphosphate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver compounds</span> Chemical compounds containing silver

Silver is a relatively unreactive metal, although it can form several compounds. The common oxidation states of silver are (in order of commonness): +1 (the most stable state; for example, silver nitrate, AgNO3); +2 (highly oxidising; for example, silver(II) fluoride, AgF2); and even very rarely +3 (extreme oxidising; for example, potassium tetrafluoroargentate(III), KAgF4). The +3 state requires very strong oxidising agents to attain, such as fluorine or peroxodisulfate, and some silver(III) compounds react with atmospheric moisture and attack glass. Indeed, silver(III) fluoride is usually obtained by reacting silver or silver monofluoride with the strongest known oxidizing agent, krypton difluoride.

Fulminating silver is a historic name which may apply to a number of silver based explosives which "fulminate" or detonate easily and violently. It has no exact chemical or dictionary definition, but may refer to:

Silver hyponitrite is an ionic compound with formula Ag2N2O2 or (Ag+
)2[ON=NO]2−, containing monovalent silver cations and hyponitrite anions. It is a bright yellow solid practically insoluble in water and most organic solvents, including DMF and DMSO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Europium compounds</span> Chemical compounds

Europium compounds are compounds formed by the lanthanide metal europium (Eu). In these compounds, europium generally exhibits the +3 oxidation state, such as EuCl3, Eu(NO3)3 and Eu(CH3COO)3. Compounds with europium in the +2 oxidation state are also known. The +2 ion of europium is the most stable divalent ion of lanthanide metals in aqueous solution. Many europium compounds fluoresce under ultraviolet light due to the excitation of electrons to higher energy levels. Lipophilic europium complexes often feature acetylacetonate-like ligands, e.g., Eufod.

References

  1. "silver nitride". Chemister.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Edward S. Shanley, John L. Ennis (1991). "The Chemistry and Free Energy Formation of Silver Nitride". Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 30 (11): 2503. doi:10.1021/ie00059a023.
  3. 1 2 John L. Ennis and Edward S. Shanley (1991). "On Hazardous Silver Compounds". J. Chem. Educ. 68 (1): A6. Bibcode:1991JChEd..68....6E. doi:10.1021/ed068pA6.
  4. "Silver Nitrate" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
  5. See:
    • Berthollet (1788) "Procéde pour rendre la chaux d'argent fulminante" (Procedure for making fulminating silver chalk), Observations sur la physique … , 32 : 474–475.
    • Davis, Tenney L., The Chemistry of Powder And Explosives (Las Vegas, Nevada: Angriff Press, 1998), p. 401. (Originally published in 1941 and 1943 by Wiley of New York, New York.)
  6. Wentrup, Curt (14 October 2019). "Fulminating Gold and Silver". Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 58 (42): 11. doi:10.1002/anie.201906356 . Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  7. Wolfgang A. Herrmann, Georg Brauer, ed. (2014-05-14). Synthetic methods of organometallic and inorganic chemistry: Volume 5, 1999: Volume 5: Copper, Silver, Gold, Zinc, Cadmium and Mercury. Georg Thieme Verlag. p. 38. ISBN   978-3-13-179211-2.
  8. "Silver oxide" . Retrieved February 11, 2010.
  9. "Silicon nitride protective coatings for silvered glass mirrors" . Retrieved February 11, 2010.
  10. "Browning Shotguns" . Retrieved February 11, 2010.