Calcium is a nutrient that your body uses for healthy bones and teeth. It also plays a role in the control of blood pressure and maintains heartbeats.

It is a member of the alkaline earth elements group and serves as an alloying agent for other metals such as aluminum and beryllium. It is found in many industrial materials such as cement and mortar.

The chemical formula for calcium nitride is Ca3N2 (Ca-N-O). It has an atomic number of 20 and a valency of +2.

How is this compound produced?

Calcium nitride is produced from elemental calcium and nitrogen. It is a red-brown, crystalline solid that is formed when the calcium reacts with air to form the oxide, CaO.

To produce calcium nitride, a fine fibrous calcium metal purified by distillation is placed in a nickel boat and heated at 450 for 3 4 h in pure N2 gas flow. At this temperature, the metallic calcium undergoes a crystal transformation into a hexagonal crystal (body-centered cubic), which loosens its lattice structure and allows the nitriding reaction to occur.

Calcium nitride is widely used as a catalyst for the synthesis of other compounds, as a reagent for metal alloying, as a desiccant and a chemical analysis reagent, and as a raw material in the production of light-emitting diode (LED) phosphors. It is also a significant hydrogen storage reagent and a critical material in advanced fuel cells.

tags: Semiconductors semiconductor industry