Sodium azide as a reagent for solid state metathesis preparations of refractory metal nitrides

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/0277-5387(94)00314-5

Thermal initiation (.apprx.300°C) of a reaction between sodium azide and anhydrous metal chlorides (LaCl3, SmCl3, TiCl3, ZrCl4, HfCl4, VCl3, TaCl5, CrCl2, WCl6 and MnCl2) in sealed evacuated ampoules rapidly produces binary metal nitrides, dinitrogen and sodium chloride. The metalnitrides were purified by trituration with methanol and characterized b y powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis and FT-IR.