Neptunium silicide explained

Neptunium silicide is a binary inorganic compound of neptunium and silicon with the chemical formula .^[1] The compound forms crystals and does not dissolve in water.^[2]

Synthesis

Heating neptunium trifluoride with powdered silicon in vacuum:^[3]

4NpF _{3} +11Si \xrightarrow{1500 ^{oC} 4 NpSi _{2} + 3 SiF _{4} }

Physical properties

Neptunium silicide forms crystals^[4] of tetragonal crystal system, space group I4₁/amd, cell parameters: a = 0.396 nm, c = 1.367 nm, Z = 4.^[5]

Neptunium disilicide does not dissolve in water.

Chemical properties

Neptunium disilicide reacts with HCl:^[3]

NpSi _{2} +8HCl \xrightarrow NpCl _{4} +2SiH _{4}

Notes and References

1. Book: Donnay . J. D. H. . Nowacki . Werner . Crystal Data: Classification of Substances by Space Groups and their Identification from Cell Dimensions . 1954 . . 978-0-8137-1060-0 . 383 . 16 August 2021 . en.
2. Book: Koch . Günter . Transurane: Teil C: Die Verbindungen . 5 October 2013 . . 978-3-662-11547-3 . 245 . 16 August 2021 . de.
3. Book: Sheft . Irving . Fried . Sherman . New Neptunium Compounds . 1950 . U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Technical Information Division . 4 . 16 August 2021 . en.
4. Book: Zachariasen . William Houlder . The Crystal Structure of Uranium Silicides and of CeSi2, NpSi2, and PuSi2 . 1949 . U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Technical Information Branch . 3 . 16 August 2021 . en.
5. Web site: mp-21298: NpSi2 (tetragonal, I4_1/amd, 141) . . 16 August 2021.