Beryllium nitride, Be
3N
2, is a
nitride
In chemistry, a nitride is a chemical compound of nitrogen. Nitrides can be inorganic or organic, ionic or covalent. The nitride anion, N3−, is very elusive but compounds of nitride are numerous, although rarely naturally occurring. Some nitr ...
of
beryllium
Beryllium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Be and atomic number 4. It is a steel-gray, hard, strong, lightweight and brittle alkaline earth metal. It is a divalent element that occurs naturally only in combination with ...
. It can be prepared from the elements at high temperature (1100–1500 °C);
[Egon Wiberg, Arnold Frederick Holleman (2001) ''Inorganic Chemistry'', Elsevier ] unlike
beryllium azide or BeN
6, it decomposes in vacuum into beryllium and nitrogen.
It is readily hydrolysed forming
beryllium hydroxide
Beryllium hydroxide, Be(OH)2, is an amphoteric hydroxide, dissolving in both acids and alkalis. Industrially, it is produced as a by-product in the extraction of beryllium metal from the ores beryl and bertrandite. The natural pure beryllium hydro ...
and
ammonia
Ammonia is an inorganic chemical compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the chemical formula, formula . A Binary compounds of hydrogen, stable binary hydride and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinctive pu ...
.
It has two polymorphic forms cubic α-Be
3N
2 with a defect anti-fluorite structure, and hexagonal β-Be
3N
2.
It reacts with
silicon nitride
Silicon nitride is a chemical compound of the elements silicon and nitrogen. (''Trisilicon tetranitride'') is the most thermodynamically stable and commercially important of the silicon nitrides, and the term ″''Silicon nitride''″ commonly re ...
, Si
3N
4 in a stream of ammonia at 1800–1900 °C to form BeSiN
2.
Preparation
Beryllium nitride is prepared by heating beryllium metal powder with dry nitrogen in an oxygen-free atmosphere in temperatures between 700 and 1400 °C.
: 3Be + N
2 → Be
3N
2
Uses
It is used in
refractory
In materials science, a refractory (or refractory material) is a material that is resistant to decomposition by heat or chemical attack and that retains its strength and rigidity at high temperatures. They are inorganic, non-metallic compound ...
ceramics as well as in
nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device used to initiate and control a Nuclear fission, fission nuclear chain reaction. They are used for Nuclear power, commercial electricity, nuclear marine propulsion, marine propulsion, Weapons-grade plutonium, weapons ...
s.
It is used to produce radioactive
carbon-14
Carbon-14, C-14, C or radiocarbon, is a radioactive isotope of carbon with an atomic nucleus containing 6 protons and 8 neutrons. Its presence in organic matter is the basis of the radiocarbon dating method pioneered by Willard Libby and coll ...
for tracer applications by the + n → + p reaction. It is favoured due to its stability, high nitrogen content (50%), and the very low capture cross section of beryllium for neutrons.
Reactions
Beryllium nitride reacts with mineral acids producing
ammonia
Ammonia is an inorganic chemical compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the chemical formula, formula . A Binary compounds of hydrogen, stable binary hydride and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinctive pu ...
and the corresponding salts of the acids:
: Be
3N
2 + 6 HCl → 3 BeCl
2 + 2 NH
3
In strong alkali solutions, a
beryllate
Beryllium compounds
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