Chemistry:Lithium amide

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Lithium amide
Unit cell of LiNH2.png
__ Li+      __ N3−      __ H+
Names
IUPAC name
Lithium amide
Other names
Lithium azanide
Lithamide
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChemSpider
UNII
Properties
LiNH
2
Molar mass 22.96 g·mol−1
Appearance white solid
Density 1.178 g/cm3
Melting point 375 °C (707 °F; 648 K)
Boiling point 430 °C (806 °F; 703 K) decomposes
reacts
Solubility slightly soluble in ethanol
insoluble in ammonia
Thermochemistry
-182 kJ/mol
Hazards
NFPA 704 (fire diamond)
Flammability code 1: Must be pre-heated before ignition can occur. Flash point over 93 °C (200 °F). E.g. canola oilHealth code 3: Short exposure could cause serious temporary or residual injury. E.g. chlorine gasReactivity code 2: Undergoes violent chemical change at elevated temperatures and pressures, reacts violently with water, or may form explosive mixtures with water. E.g. white phosphorusSpecial hazard W: Reacts with water in an unusual or dangerous manner. E.g. sodium, sulfuric acidNFPA 704 four-colored diamond
1
3
2
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Infobox references

Lithium amide or lithium azanide is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula LiNH
2
. It is a white solid with a tetragonal crystal structure.[1] Lithium amide can be made by treating lithium metal with liquid ammonia:[2]

2 Li + 2 NH
3
→ 2 LiNH
2
+ H
2

Other lithium amides

The conjugate bases of amines are known as amides. Thus, a lithium amide may also refer to any compound in the class of the lithium salt of an amine. These compounds have the general form LiNR
2
, with the chemical lithium amide itself as the parent structure. Common lithium amides include lithium diisopropylamide (LDA), lithium tetramethylpiperidide (LiTMP), and lithium hexamethyldisilazide (LiHMDS). They are produced by the reaction of Li metal with the appropriate amine:

2 Li + 2 R
2
NH → 2 LiNR
2
+ H
2

Lithium amides are very reactive compounds. Specifically, they are strong bases.

Examples

Lithium tetramethylpiperidide has been crystallised as a tetramer.[3] On the other hand, the lithium derivative of bis(1-phenylethyl)amine crystallises as a trimer:[4]

Tetrameric lithium tetramethylpiperidide
Trimeric lithium bis(1-phenylethyl)amide

It is also possible to make mixed oligomers of metal alkoxides and amides.[5] These are related to the superbases, which are mixtures of metal alkoxides and alkyls. The cyclic oligomers form when the nitrogen of the amide forms a sigma bond to a lithium, while the nitrogen lone pair binds to another metal centre.

Other organolithium compounds (such as BuLi) are generally considered to exist in and function via high-order, aggregated species.

See also

References

  1. David, William I. F.; Jones, Martin O.; Gregory, Duncan H.; Jewell, Catherine M.; Johnson, Simon R.; Walton, Allan; Edwards, Peter P. (2007-02-01). "A Mechanism for Non-stoichiometry in the Lithium Amide/Lithium Imide Hydrogen Storage Reaction". Journal of the American Chemical Society 129 (6): 1594–1601. doi:10.1021/ja066016s. ISSN 0002-7863. PMID 17243680. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja066016s. 
  2. P. W. Schenk (1963). "Lithium amide". in G. Brauer. Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry, 2nd Ed.. 1. NY, NY: Academic Press. pp. 454. 
  3. M.F. Lappert; M.J. Slade; A. Singh; J.L. Atwood; R.D. Rogers; R. Shakir (1983). "Structure and reactivity of sterically hindered lithium amides and their diethyl etherates: crystal and molecular structures of [Li{N(SiMe3)2}(OEt2)]2 and tetrakis(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinatolithium)". Journal of the American Chemical Society 105 (2): 302–304. doi:10.1021/ja00340a031. 
  4. D.R. Armstrong; K.W. Henderson; A.R. Kennedy; W.J. Kerr; F.S. Mair; J.H. Moir; P.H. Moran; R. Snaith (1999). "Structural studies of the chiral lithium amides [{PhC(H)Me}2NLi] and [PhCH2{PhC(H)Me}NLi·THF] derived from α-methylbenzylamine". Dalton Transactions: 4063–4068. doi:10.1039/A904725E. 
  5. K.W. Henderson, D.S. Walther; P.G. Williard (1995). "Identification of a Unimetal Complex of Bases by 6Li NMR Spectroscopy and Single-Crystal Analysis". Journal of the American Chemical Society 117 (33): 8680–8681. doi:10.1021/ja00138a030. 

External links