Nick F - 5-1-2003 at 16:44
It's almost 00:45 and I want some sleep so I'll have to make this brief:
Does anyone know any safe methods by which lead or silver azide can be chemically destroyed?
Also, how do you think is the best way to store it? Dry, under water, under alcohol, under DCM..?
I've been doing it under water, until I read in "The Chemistry of Explosives" something along the lines of "it is stable when dry but can decompose
with moisture, oxidising agents and ammonia."
So what do you think? I'm too tired to think right now, but perhaps if it's under water it could allow larger crystals to grow since it does have some
limited solubility?
Thaks, I'll check this topic in the morning to make sure haven't posted anything too stupid, need slepp, bye.
Mongo Blongo - 6-1-2003 at 05:28
You can dissolve silver azide in ammonium hydroxide and sotre it. When you want the AgN3 back just distill off the ammonia and your AgN3 will ppt out.
This is also used in the manufacture of AgN3 for particle size reduction hence your ppt will be safer to handle than the "raw" AgN3.
As for Lead Azide just store it with sillica jell or in some kind of desiccator.
madscientist - 6-1-2003 at 05:29
I would place the lead/silver azide in hot water, add aluminum foil, and a touch of NaOH to help remove the oxide layer on the aluminum foil. The
result should be the lead/silver metal, and aluminum azide, a small amount of sodium azide, and a small amount of gelatinous aluminum hydroxide.
lead azide destruction
KABOOOM(pyrojustforfun) - 26-1-2003 at 18:50
I translated the following infomation from one of my "Chemistry of explosives" kind of books:
there are 4 ways
1. mix five times its weight a 10% NaOH solution, stir occasionally. after 16 hours you can saftly discard the resulted sodium azide solution
2. dissolve it in a 10% ammonium acetate solution then add a 10% sodium or potassium bichromate until no more yellow precipitate of lead chromate
forms.
3. mix it with 500 times its weight water and 12 times its weight a 25% NaNO2 solution and stir then slowly add 14 times its weight a 36%
nitric acid solution. acidifying is continued until it isn't red anymore when mixed with ferric chloride. (this color indicates presence of lead
azide). this process evolves toxic fumes.
4.dissolve the lead azide in 50 times its weight a solutin of 15% ceric ammonium nitrate. the azide decomposes and N2 is evolved.
vulture - 27-1-2003 at 09:43
Back in the dark days of experimental chemistry, researchers found that solutions of azide salts will decompose into N2 when electrolysed
when they tried to prepare (N3)2.