Lithium azide
Encyclopedia
Lithium azide is the lithium
salt of hydrazoic acid
. It is an unstable and toxic compound that decomposes into lithium
and nitrogen
when heated.
reaction between sodium azide
and lithium nitrate
:
or lithium sulfate
solutions:
Lithium
Lithium is a soft, silver-white metal that belongs to the alkali metal group of chemical elements. It is represented by the symbol Li, and it has the atomic number 3. Under standard conditions it is the lightest metal and the least dense solid element. Like all alkali metals, lithium is highly...
salt of hydrazoic acid
Hydrazoic acid
Hydrazoic acid, also known as hydrogen azide or azoimide, is a colorless, volatile, and extremely explosive liquid at room temperature and pressure. It is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen, having chemical formula HN3. It was first isolated in 1890 by Theodor Curtius...
. It is an unstable and toxic compound that decomposes into lithium
Lithium
Lithium is a soft, silver-white metal that belongs to the alkali metal group of chemical elements. It is represented by the symbol Li, and it has the atomic number 3. Under standard conditions it is the lightest metal and the least dense solid element. Like all alkali metals, lithium is highly...
and nitrogen
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
when heated.
Preparation
It can be prepared by metathesisMetathesis (chemistry)
Salt metathesis is a molecular process involving the exchange of bonds between the two reacting chemical species, which results in the creation of products with similar or identical bonding affiliations. This is represented by the general reaction scheme:These chemical species can either be ionic...
reaction between sodium azide
Sodium azide
Sodium azide is the inorganic compound with the formula NaN3. This colourless azide salt is the gas-forming component in many car airbag systems. It is used for the preparation of other azide compounds. It is an ionic substance and is highly soluble in water. It is extremely...
and lithium nitrate
Lithium nitrate
Lithium nitrate is an inorganic compound with the formula LiNO3. It is the lithium salt of nitric acid. It is made by reacting lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide with nitric acid.-Uses:...
:
- NaN3 + LiNO3 → LiN3 + NaNO3
or lithium sulfate
Lithium sulfate
Lithium sulfate is a white inorganic salt with the formula Li2SO4. It is the lithium salt of sulfuric acid.-Properties:Lithium sulfate is soluble in water, though it does not follow the usual trend of solubility versus temperature — its solubility in water decreases with increasing temperature, as...
solutions:
- 2 NaN3 + Li2SO4 → 2 LiN3 + Na2SO4