caesium azide
{{Chembox
|IUPACName = caesium azide
|OtherNames = cesium azide
|ImageFile = AzideCoordinationCropped.tif
|ImageCaption = Coordination sphere of azide in {{Chem2|CsN3}}
|Section1 = {{Chembox Identifiers
|CASNo = 22750-57-8
|PubChem = 6101636
|ChemSpiderID = 81071
|EINECS = 245-196-0
|StdInChI=1S/Cs.N3/c;1-3-2/q+1;-1
|StdInChIKey = AYTVLULEEPNWAX-UHFFFAOYSA-N
|InChI = 1S/Cs.N3/c;1-3-2/q+1;-1
|SMILES = [N-]=[N+]=[N-].[Cs+]
}}
|Section2 = {{Chembox Properties
|Properties_ref = {{cite book|title=Handbook of Inorganic Compounds|last=Perry|first=Dale L.|date=18 May 2011|page=110|isbn=978-1-4398-1461-1|publisher=CRC Press}}
|Appearance = colorless needles
|Density = 3.5 g/cm3
|Formula = {{chem2|CsN3}}
|MolarMass = 174.926 g/mol
|MeltingPtC = 310
|Solubility = 224.2 g/100 mL (0 °C)
}}
|Section3 = {{Chembox Structure
|CrystalStruct = tetragonal
|SpaceGroup = I4/mcm, No. 140
|LattConst_a = 6.5412 Å
|LattConst_c = 8.0908 Å
|UnitCellFormulas = 4
}}
}}
Caesium azide or cesium azide is an inorganic compound of caesium and nitrogen. It is a salt of azide with the formula {{Chem2|CsN3}}.
Structure
{{Chem2|CsN3}} adopts the same structure as potassium azide, rubidium azide, and thallium azide, crystallizing in a tetragonal distorted caesium chloride structure where each azide ion coordinates to eight metal cations, and each metal cation coordinates to eight terminal N centers. When heated to 151{{nbsp}}°C, it transitions to a cubic structure.{{cite book|editor-last=McIntyre|editor-first=J.E.|title=Dictionary of Inorganic Compounds Volume 3: C46 – Zr|page=3096|publisher=Chapman & Hill|isbn=0-412-30120-2}}
Preparation and reactions
Caesium azide can be prepared from the neutralization reaction between hydrazoic acid and caesium hydroxide:{{cite book|last1=Steudel|first1=R.|last2=Schenk|first2=P. W.|editor-last=Brauer|editor-first=Georg|title=Handbuch der Präparativen Anorganischen Chemie, 3. Auflage, Band I|page=458|chapter=Stickstoff|year=1975|publisher=F. Enke |isbn=3-432-02328-6}}
{{chem2|CsOH + HN3 -> CsN3 + H2O}}
Caesium carbonate can also be used as the base:
{{chem2|Cs2CO3 + HN3 -> CsN3 + CO2 + H2O}}
Caesium sulfate reacts with barium azide to form insoluble barium sulfate and caesium azide:
{{chem2|Cs2SO4 + Ba(N3)2 -> 2CsN3 + BaSO4↓}}
The thermal decomposition of {{chem2|CsN3}} in vacuo can be used as a method of generating high purity caesium metal:{{cite journal|last1=Blatter|first1=Fritz|last2=Schumacher|first2=Ernst|title=Production of high purity caesium|journal=Journal of the Less Common Metals|volume=115|issue=2|pages=307–313|date=15 January 1986|doi=10.1016/0022-5088(86)90153-0}}
{{chem2|2 CsN3 -> 2 Cs + 3 N2}}