Nitrogen triiodide
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| Nitrogen Triiodide | |
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| Chemical name | Nitrogen Triiodide |
| Chemical formula | NI3 |
| Molecular mass | 394.77 g/mol |
| Shock sensitivity | ?? |
| Friction sensitivity | ?? |
| CAS number | 13444-85-4 |
| Missing image Nitrogen_triiodide.gif Nitrogen Triiodide (structural formula) | |
In chemistry, nitrogen triiodide, also called ammonium triiodide, and sometimes referred to as nitrogen iodide, is a highly explosive compound of nitrogen and iodine, NI3. Being a contact explosive, small quantities explode with a gunpowder-like snap when touched by even a feather, releasing a volatile cloud of iodine vapor. The decomposition of nitrogen triiodide occurs via the following reaction:
- 2NI3 (s) → N2 (g) + 3I2 (g)
Nitrogen triiodide should be handled with extreme caution, as the dry compound explodes spontaneously. An ammonia complex of NI3 can be synthesized by reacting iodine with ammonia, NH3, by soaking iodine crystals in an ammonia solution. While still wet, nitrogen triiodide is safer to handle than the dry compound, but is still prone to spontaneous explosion.
Small amounts of nitrogen triiodide are sometimes synthesized as a demonstration to high school chemistry students.
External links
- See the explosion (requires the Quicktime plugin) (http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/JCESoft/CCA/CCA0/MOVIES/NI3IOD.html)
- Nitrogen Tri-Iodide - explains why the compound is explosive (http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/ni3/ni3j.htm)de:Jodstickstoff