Mercurous Azide, Hg2(N3)2

Abstract

White polycrystalline mercurous azide, Hg2(N3) 2, is obtained by combining aqueous solutions of NaN3 and Hg2(NO3)2·2H2O (made viscuous by addition of tetramethoxysilane and heating at 65°C). The crystal structure was solved and refined from X-ray powder diffraction data (monoclinic, P21/n, a = 596.07(2) pm, b = 1259.07(4) pm, c = 357.95(1) pm, β= 103.253(2)°, Z = 2, RB = 0.0519). Solid Hg2(N3)2 contains, essentially, molecules of that composition with Hg-Hg distances of 254.4(3) pm, Hg-N distances of 218(2) pm and Hg-Hg-N angles of 178.7(6)°. Weak intermolecular interactions with Hg-N distances starting at 280(3) pm lead to a three-dimensional structure.