Magnesium nitride

Beige solid

Fixed

2.71 g · cm -3

800 ° C ( decomposition)

Reacts with water

Risk

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Magnesium nitride is a chemical compound of the elements magnesium and nitrogen. It has the formula Mg3N2 and belongs to the group of nitrides.

Production and representation

It arises as a yellow solid, for example, metallic magnesium by heating to about 300 ° C under a nitrogen atmosphere.

Also possible is the production by the reaction of magnesium and ammonia.

The combustion of magnesium metal in air, it is created next to magnesium oxide ( MgO) and lets it appear yellowish.

Properties

Magnesium nitride is a greenish-yellow to yellow-orange colored, loose powder. It has a cubic crystal structure of the carbon Sesquioxidtyp (a = 9.95 Å). With water magnesium hydroxide and magnesium nitride hydrolyzed to ammonia.

In historical Serpek process, this reaction was used ( in addition to the hydrolysis of AlN) for ammonia synthesis (see Haber- Bosch process ).