Hydridonitride


In chemistry, a hydridonitride is a chemical compound that contains both hydride and nitride ions. These inorganic compounds are distinct from inorganic amides and imides as the hydrogen does not share a bond with nitrogen, and usually contain a larger proportion of metals.

Structure

The hydride ion is stabilised by being surrounded by electropositive elements such as alkalis or alkaline earths. Quaternary compounds exist where nitrogen forms a complex with bonds to a transition or main group element. The hydride requires the presence of another alkaline earth element.

Production

Hydridonitrides may be produced by a process called self-propagating high-temperature synthesis where a metal nitride is ignited in a hydrogen atmosphere.
A metal can also be ignited in an atmosphere mixing hydrogen and nitrogen, and a hydridonitride is formed exothermically.
The molten metal flux technique involves dissolving metal nitrides and hydrides in an excess of molten alkaline earth metal, by heating till everything is molten, and then cooling until crystals form, but the metal is still liquid. Draining the liquid metal leaves the crystals of hydridonitride behind. A eutectic molten metal allows it to be cooled more.
If liquid alkali metal is used as a flux to grow a hydridonitride crystal, excess metal can be removed using liquid ammonia.

Properties

Some hydridonitrides are sensitive to water vapour in air. For non-stoichimetric compounds, as the proportion of hydrogen increases, the unit cell dimensions also increase, so hydrogen is not merely filling holes. When heated to a sufficiently high temperature, hydridonitrides lose hydrogen first to form a metallic nitride or alloy.

Room temperature superconductor

One lutetium hydride doped with nitrogen is claimed to be a room-temperature superconductor at up to 21°C at a pressure of 1 GPa, which is considerably lower than for other polyhydrides. This has been called "red matter" as it is red under high pressure, but blue at ambient conditions. The claim has been met with some skepticism as it was made by the same team that made similar claims retracted by Nature in 2022, claimed observation of solid metallic hydrogen in 2016 as well as other allegations. First attempts to replicate the results have failed. Ashcroft suggested metallic hydrogen could superconduct in 1968 at great pressures and in 2004 similarly that dense group IVa hydrides could also be superconductors at more accessible pressures.

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