Neodymium phosphide is an

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 chemi ...

neodymium Neodymium is a chemical element with the symbol Nd and atomic number 60. It is the fourth member of the lanthanide series and is considered to be one of the rare-earth metals. It is a hard, slightly malleable, silvery metal that quickly tarnishes ...

and

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 ...

with the chemical formula NdP.

Preparation

Neodymium phosphide can be obtained by reacting neodymium and phosphorus in a stoichiometric ratio: :: 4Nd + P4 -> 4NdP

Physical properties

Neodymium phosphide forms cubic crystals, space group ''Fmm'', cell parameters a = 0.5838 nm, Z = 4.

Uses

The compound is a

semiconductor A semiconductor is a material which has an electrical conductivity value falling between that of a conductor, such as copper, and an insulator, such as glass. Its resistivity falls as its temperature rises; metals behave in the opposite way. ...

used in high power, high frequency applications, and in

laser diode The laser diode chip removed and placed on the eye of a needle for scale A laser diode (LD, also injection laser diode or ILD, or diode laser) is a semiconductor device similar to a light-emitting diode in which a diode pumped directly with e ...

References

{{Phosphides Phosphides Neodymium compounds Semiconductors Rock salt crystal structure