13424-46-9 Usage
Description
Lead azide, with the chemical formula Pb(N3)2, is a highly unstable compound that exists in the form of colorless needles or a white powder. It is known for its severe explosion risk and should be handled with extreme caution, preferably under water. Lead azide is characterized by its density of approximately 4.0 g/cm3, and it explodes upon heating at 350°C. It is slightly soluble in water, with solubility levels of 230 mg/L at 18°C and 900 mg/L at 70°C. The compound is very soluble in acetic acid but insoluble in ammonia solution. Due to its high reactivity, lead azide may explode from shock, heat, flame, or friction when dry, posing a significant hazard primarily through the blast effect of an instantaneous explosion rather than flying projectiles and fragments.
Uses
1. Used in Explosives Industry:
Lead azide is used as a primary detonating compound for high explosives. Its high sensitivity to shock, heat, and friction makes it an ideal choice for initiating explosive reactions in various applications.
2. Used as a Detonator in Explosives:
Lead azide is employed as a detonator in the explosives industry, where it is utilized to initiate the explosion of more stable, high-energy materials. It is often used in the form of dextrinated lead azide to enhance its stability and safety during handling.
3. Used as a Primer in Explosives:
In the form of dextrinated lead azide, lead azide is also used as a primer in explosives. Its role is to provide a controlled and reliable initiation source for the subsequent explosive charge.
4. Used in Detonators and Fuses:
Lead azide is utilized as a primary explosive in detonators and fuses to initiate the booster or bursting charge. It is generally used in a dextrinated form to improve safety and stability.
5. Used in Shells, Cartridges, and Percussion Caps:
Lead azide is also used in the manufacturing of shells, cartridges, and percussion caps, where its high reactivity and sensitivity to initiating forces are advantageous for reliable and controlled explosive performance.
Production Methods
The percussion
sensitivity of PbN6 led to its important use as a primer in
munitions.
Production Methods
Lead azide crystallizes as colorless needles. It is a sensitive detonating agent, exploding at 350 °C. Lead azide is commonly prepared by the reaction between dilute solutions of lead nitrate and sodium azide. For safety, it is stirred vigorously to prevent formation of large crystals, which may detonate. Lead azide is usually precipitated with a protective material, such as gelatin, and then granulated. Lead azide is also used to prepare electrophotographic layers and for information storage on styrene–butadiene resins.
Preparation
Lead azide is prepared by the reaction of sodium azide with lead nitrate: 2NaN3 + Pb(NO3)2 → Pb(N3)2 + 2NaNO3.
Air & Water Reactions
Insoluble in water.
Reactivity Profile
Lead azide is unstable. May, when dry, decompose explosively if shocked, heated or subjected to friction. Forms violently explosive products with carbon disulfide. Can be sensitized to explosive decomposition by metal salts (copper or zinc) or by traces of strong acids [Sax, 9th ed., 1996, p. 298]. An explosion occurred by mixing Lead azide with 0.5% of calcium stearate, [MCA Case History No. 949].
Hazard
Lead azide explodes on heating at 350°C or on percussion. Its detonation velocity is 5.1 km/sec (Meyer, E. 1989. Chemistry of Hazardous Materials, 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall). It undergoes violent explosive reaction with carbon disulfide and forms shock-sensitive copper and zinc azides when mixed with the solutions of copper and zinc salts (Patnaik, P. 1999. A Comprehensive Guide to the Hazardous Properties of Chemical Substances, 2nd ed. New York: John Wiley).
Health Hazard
Fire may produce irritating, corrosive and/or toxic gases.
Health Hazard
Toxicity data for lead azide are not available.Its aqueous solution is toxic, exhibitingpoisoning effect of lead.
Fire Hazard
MAY EXPLODE AND THROW FRAGMENTS 1600 meters (1 MILE) OR MORE IF FIRE REACHES CARGO.
Carcinogenicity
Results in an early study were
deemed inconclusive because dose levels were not considered
high enough. Rats were fed diets containing 100 or
200 ppm (6 or 12 mg/kg/day) sodium azide for 18 months
followed by 6 months of observation. An increase in pituitary
adenomas in the low-dose females compared to concurrent
controls was found, but in this study the incidence in the
control rats was unusually low compared to historical controls.
A similar result occurred with mammary tumors.No carcinogenicity studies were found for hydrogen azide
or lead azide but lead should be used as an analog for the latter
chemical.
Waste Disposal
Lead azide is decomposed by treatment withnitrous acid or ceric ammonium nitrate (Wear1981).
Check Digit Verification of cas no
The CAS Registry Mumber 13424-46-9 includes 8 digits separated into 3 groups by hyphens. The first part of the number,starting from the left, has 5 digits, 1,3,4,2 and 4 respectively; the second part has 2 digits, 4 and 6 respectively.
Calculate Digit Verification of CAS Registry Number 13424-46:
(7*1)+(6*3)+(5*4)+(4*2)+(3*4)+(2*4)+(1*6)=79
79 % 10 = 9
So 13424-46-9 is a valid CAS Registry Number.
InChI:InChI=1/4N3.Pb/c4*1-3-2;/q4*-1;+4
13424-46-9Relevant articles and documents
Regularities of the formation of the photolysis products in the lead azide-cadmium system
Surovoi,Bugerko,Rasmatova
, p. 1151 - 1155 (2006)
Compared to PbN6(Ab), the PbN6(Ab)-Cd system was found to be characterized by a low photolysis rate within the region of intrinsic absorption of PbN6(Ab) and, at the same time, by a broader range of spectral sensitivity of PbN6(Ab), up to 510 nm. Preliminary irradiation by 380-nm light resulted in an increase in the photolysis rate. The photolysis rate constants for the PbN6(Ab)-Cd system were determined. An analysis of the voltammetric characteristics, photocurrent, and contact potential difference made it possible to develop a model of the photolysis of the PbN6(Ab)-Cd system, including the stages of generation, recombination, redistribution of nonequilibrium charge carriers in the contact field, the photoemission of electrons, formation of the photolysis products, and genesis of the PbN6(Ab)-Pb(photolysis product)-Cd system. It was demonstrated that the diffusion of anionic vacancies to neutral Pb n 0 sites is the limiting stage of the photolysis of the PbN 6(Ab)-Cd system. Nauka/Interperiodica 2006.
Hattori, K.,McCrone, W.
, p. 1791 - 1792 (1956)
PbII-catalyzed transformation of aromatic nitriles to heptanitrogen anions via sodium azide: a combined experimental and theoretical study
Huang, Rong-Yi,Zhang, Chao,Yan, Da,Xiong, Zhi,Xu, Heng,Ren, Xiao-Ming
, p. 39929 - 39936 (2018)
Under hydrothermal conditions, an open-chain N73? anion stabilized in a metal-organic framework (MOF) was achieved for the first time via the in situ reaction of 4-fluorobenzonitrile and sodium azide with Pb2+ ion as catalyst. The anion with C2h symmetry in the MOF was studied by FT-IR, single-crystal XRD and theoretical calculations. Thermal analysis results demonstrated the stability of the anion in the MOF below 430 °C and a high energy content of 8.61 kJ g?1. The anion is also a good reducing agent. It can easily react with basic KMnO4 solution. Moreover, the present study indicates that the Pb2+ ion activates the azide rather than nitrile in the in situ reaction of nitriles with azides to form polynitrogen and this mechanism is a distinct contradiction with the previous results in which the nitrile reacts with azide in the presence of transition metal ions. Our findings may open a new avenue towards the synthesis and capture of polynitrogen compounds.
Kinetics of the formation of photolysis products in the lead azide-cadmium telluride systems
Surovoi,Bugerko,Rasmatova
, p. 981 - 985 (2007/10/03)
The kinetic and spectral regularities of the formation of the gaseous (nitrogen) and solid-phase (lead) products of the photolysis of lead azide in contact with cadmium telluride at different intensities of the incident light with λ = 380 nm were investigated by mass spectrometry and spectrophotometry. Rate constants of the photolysis of PbN6(Ab)-CdTe systems were determined. It was shown that, during the formation of PbN 6(Ab)-CdTe systems, the photolysis rate in the absorption region of PbN6(Ab) is decreased, and the region of spectral sensitivity of lead azide is broadened. Based on a consideration of measured current-voltage characteristics, photocurrent and photo-emf values, and contact potential differences, a model of the photolysis of PbN6(Ab)-CdTe systems was proposed. The model involves the stages of generation, recombination, and redistribution of nonequilibrium carriers in the contact field, formation of the photolysis products, and also formation of PbN6(Ab)-Pb (photolysis product)-CdTe heterogeneous systems. Copyright
