Bromine azide is an explosive

inorganic compound In chemistry, an inorganic compound is typically a chemical compound that lacks carbon–hydrogen bonds, that is, a compound that is not an organic compound. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as ''inorganic chemistr ...

with the formula . It has been described as a crystal or a red liquid at room temperature. It is extremely sensitive to small variations in temperature and pressure, with explosions occurring at Δp ≥ 0.05

Torr The torr (symbol: Torr) is a unit of pressure based on an absolute scale, defined as exactly of a standard atmosphere (). Thus one torr is exactly (≈ ). Historically, one torr was intended to be the same as one "millimeter of mercu ...

and also upon crystallization, thus extreme caution must be observed when working with this chemical.

Preparation

Bromine azide may be prepared by the reaction of sodium azide with . This reaction forms bromine azide and

sodium bromide Sodium bromide is an inorganic compound with the formula Na Br. It is a high-melting white, crystalline solid that resembles sodium chloride. It is a widely used source of the bromide ion and has many applications.Michael J. Dagani, Henry J. Ba ...

: :

Structure

The high sensitivity of bromine azide has led to difficulty in discerning its crystal structure. Despite this, a crystal structure of bromine azide has been obtained using a miniature zone-melting procedure with focused

infrared laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The firs ...

radiation. In contrast to , which forms an endless chain-like structure upon crystallization, forms a helical structure. Each molecule adopts a ''trans''-''bent'' structure, which is also found in the gas phase.

Reactions

Bromium azide adds to

alkene In organic chemistry, an alkene is a hydrocarbon containing a carbon–carbon double bond. Alkene is often used as synonym of olefin, that is, any hydrocarbon containing one or more double bonds.H. Stephen Stoker (2015): General, Organic, a ...

s both through

ion An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conv ...

ic and

free-radical addition In organic chemistry, free-radical addition is an addition reaction which involves free radicals. The addition may occur between a radical and a non-radical, or between two radicals. The basic steps with examples of the free-radical addition (al ...

, each giving an opposite orientation in the products. The ionic addition occurs

stereospecific In chemistry, stereospecificity is the property of a reaction mechanism that leads to different stereoisomeric reaction products from different stereoisomeric reactants, or which operates on only one (or a subset) of the stereoisomers."Overlap Con ...

ally in trans. Reactions involving bromine azide are difficult to work with. The molecule is very reactive and is known to explode easily. This makes it a key reagent in explosives.

Photochemistry Photochemistry is the branch of chemistry concerned with the chemical effects of light. Generally, this term is used to describe a chemical reaction caused by absorption of ultraviolet (wavelength from 100 to 400 nm), visible light (400– ...

experiments with bromine azide have found that UV photolysis of a small sample of bromine azide resulted in dissociation of the entire sample, making it unstable. Similar samples with azide molecules did not show such an effect. This shows bromine azide's unstable tendencies in that even in the presence of sunlight, bromine azide will be a reactive molecule.

Safety

Great care must be taken when handling bromine azide as it is potentially toxic and is able to explode under various conditions. Concentrated solutions in organic solvents may also explode. The liquid explodes on contact with

arsenic Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As and atomic number 33. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in combination with sulfur and metals, but also as a pure elemental crystal. Arsenic is a metalloid. It has various allotropes, but ...

sodium Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na (from Latin ''natrium'') and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 of the periodic table. Its only stable is ...

silver foil Vark (also varak or warq) is a fine filigree foil sheet of pure metal, typically silver but sometimes gold,

, or

phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Ea ...

. When heated to decomposition it emits highly toxic fumes of bromine and explodes. The amount of compound used during experimentation should be limited to 2 mmol. It also poses a potential moderate fire hazard in the form of vapor by chemical reaction. It is also a powerful oxidant. It has been banned from transport in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

by the

US Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the President of the United States an ...

References

{{Azides Bromine(I) compounds Azido compounds Explosive chemicals Pseudohalogens