Nitrogen triiodide
In chemistry,
nitrogen triiodide, also called
nitrogen iodide or
contact explosive, is a
highly explosive compound of
nitrogen and
iodine, NI
3. It explodes with a gunpowder-like snap when touched by even a
feather, releasing a volatile cloud of iodine vapour. This occurs via
the reaction
- 2NI3 (s) -> N2 (g) + 3I2 (s)
Nitrogen triiodide should be handled with extreme caution, as the dry compound is known to explode spontaneously. An ammonia complex of NI
3 can be synthesized by reacting iodine with
ammonia, NH
3, by soaking iodine crystals in a solution of ammonia. The aqueous solution is safer to handle than the dry compound.
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