Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 17, 2026

Lithium azide

Lithium azide is the lithium salt of hydrazoic acid. It is an unstable and toxic compound that decomposes into lithium and nitrogen when heated.

Last revised
Jul 17, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
254 w
Citations
5
Source
Lithium azide
source ↗
source ↗
  Li+       N3
Lithium azide unit cell1
Names
IUPAC name
lithium azide
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.039.237
  • InChI=1S/Li.N3/c;1-3-2/q+1;-1
  • [Li+].[N-]=[N+]=[N-]
Properties
LiN3
Molar mass 48.96 g·mol−1
Melting point 115 °C (239 °F; 388 K)
36.12 g/100 g (10 °C)
62.07 g/100 g (15.5 °C)
66.41 g/100 g (16 °C)2
Solubility 20.26 g/100 g (16 °C, ethanol)2
Hazards
GHS labelling:
GHS01: Explosive GHS06: Toxic
Safety data sheet (SDS) External SDS
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).

Lithium azide is the lithium salt of hydrazoic acid. It is an unstable and toxic compound that decomposes into lithium and nitrogen when heated.

Preparation

It can be prepared by metathesis reaction between sodium azide and lithium nitrate or lithium sulfate solutions:

NaN3 + LiNO3 → LiN3 + NaNO3
2 NaN3 + Li2SO4 → 2 LiN3 + Na2SO43

It can also be prepared by reacting lithium sulfate with barium azide.

Ba(N3)2 + Li2SO4 → 2 LiN3 + BaSO42
References

References

  1. Pringle, G. E.; Noakes, D. E. (February 1968). "The crystal structures of lithium, sodium and strontium azides". Acta Crystallogr. B. 24 (2): 262–269. Bibcode:1968AcCrB..24..262P. doi:10.1107/S0567740868002062.
  2. Hála, Jiri. "IUPAC-NIST Solubility Data Series. 79. Alkali and Alkaline Earth Metal Pseudohalides" (PDF). nist.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 February 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  3. "Λ » LambdaSyn – Darstellung von Lithiumazid".