Plutonium nitride
Chemical compound
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Plutonium nitride is a binary inorganic compound of plutonium and nitrogen with the chemical formula PuN.[1][2]
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| Names | |
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| Other names
plutonium mononitride, azanylidyneplutonium, plutonium(III) nitride | |
| Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol) |
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| ChemSpider | |
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| Properties | |
| NPu | |
| Molar mass | 258 g·mol−1 |
| Appearance | Grey crystalline solid |
| Density | 14.2 g/cm3 |
| Melting point | 2,589 °C (4,692 °F; 2,862 K) |
| insoluble | |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Synthesis
Plutonium nitride can be prepared by the reaction of plutonium hydrides with nitrogen or ammonia at a temperature of 650 °C and a pressure of 0.3 kPa.[3]
Another method to prepare plutonium nitride is from the reduction of plutonium(III) iodide with sodium in liquid ammonia:
- PuI3 + NH3 + 3Na → PuN + 3NaI + 3/2H2
Other reactions can also produce plutonium nitride:[4]
- Pu + 1/2N2 + 3/2H2 → PuN + 3/2H2 (at 1000°C)
- PuCl3 + 1/2N2 + 3/2H2 → PuN + 3HCl (at 800–900°C)
Physical properties
Plutonium nitride forms grey crystals in the cubic system with Fm3m space group.[5][6] It can be dissolved electrochemically.[7]