The Quasi-Binary Acetonitriletriide Sr3[C2N]2

Abstract

The first quasi-binary acetonitriletriide Sr3[C2N]2 has been synthesised and characterised. The nearly colourless crystals were obtained from the reaction of Sr metal, graphite, and elemental N2, generated by decomposition of Sr(N3)2, in a sealed Ni ampoule with the aid of an alkali metal flux. The structure of this compound was analysed via single-crystal X-ray diffraction and the identity of the [C2N]3− anion was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy and further investigated by quantum-chemical methods. Computed interatomic distances within the [C2N]3− anion strikingly match the obtained experimental data.