Uranium nitride

Carbothermic reduction

The common techniques for generating UN is carbothermic reduction of uranium oxide (UO₂) in a 2 step method illustrated below.

3UO₂ + 6C → 2UC + UO₂ + 4CO (in argon, > 1450 °C for 10 to 20 hours) 4UC + 2UO₂ +3N₂ → 6UN + 4CO

Sol-gel

Sol-gel methods and arc melting of pure uranium under nitrogen atmosphere can also be used.

Ammonolysis

Another common technique for generating UN₂ is the ammonolysis of uranium tetrafluoride. Uranium tetrafluoride is exposed to ammonia gas under high pressure and temperature, which replaces the fluorine with nitrogen and generates hydrogen fluoride. Hydrogen fluoride is a colourless gas at this temperature and mixes with the ammonia gas.

Hydriding-nitriding

An additional method of UN synthesis employs fabrication directly from metallic uranium. By exposing metallic uranium to hydrogen gas at temperatures in excess of 280 °C, UH₃ can be formed. Furthermore, since UH₃ has a lower specific volume than the metallic phase, hydridation can be used to physically decompose otherwise solid uranium. Following hydridation, UH₃ can be exposed to a nitrogen atmosphere at temperatures around 500 °C, thereby forming U₂N₃. By additional heating to temperatures above 1150 °C, the sesquinitride can then be decomposed to UN.

2U + 3H₂ → 2UH₃ 2UH₃ + 1.5N₂ → U₂N₃ U₂N₃ → UN + 0.5N₂

Use of the isotope ¹⁵N (which constitutes around 0.37% of natural nitrogen) is preferable because the predominant isotope, ¹⁴N, has a not insignificant neutron absorption cross section which affects neutron economy and, in particular, it undergoes an (n,p) reaction which produces significant amounts of radioactive ¹⁴C which would need to be carefully contained and sequestered during reprocessing or permanent storage.

Decomposition

Each uranium dinitride complex is considered to have three distinct compounds present simultaneously because of decomposing of uranium dinitride (UN₂) into uranium sesquinitride (U₂N₃), and the uranium mononitride (UN). Uranium dinitrides decompose to uranium mononitride by the following sequence of reactions:

4UN₂ → 2U₂N₃+ N₂ 2U₂N₃ → 4UN +N₂

Decomposition of UN₂ is the most common method for isolating uranium sesquinitride (U₂N₃).

Uses

Uranium mononitride is being considered as a potential fuel for generation IV reactors such as the Hyperion Power Module reactor created by Hyperion Power Generation. It has also been proposed as nuclear fuel in some fast neutron nuclear test reactors. UN is considered superior because of its higher fissionable density, thermal conductivity and melting temperature than the most common nuclear fuel, uranium oxide (UO₂), while also demonstrating lower release of fission product gases and swelling, and decreased chemical reactivity with cladding materials. It also has a superior mechanical, thermal and radiation stability compared to standard metallic uranium fuel. The thermal conductivity is on the order of 4-8 times higher than that of uranium dioxide, the most commonly used nuclear fuel, at typical operating temperatures. Increased thermal conductivity results a lower thermal gradient between inner and outer sections of the fuel, potentially allowing for higher operating temperatures and reducing macroscopic restructuring of the fuel, which limits fuel lifetime.

The uranium dinitride (UN₂) compound has a face-centered cubic crystal structure of the calcium fluoride (CaF₂) type with a space group of Fm3m. Nitrogen forms triple bonds on each side of uranium forming a linear structure.

α-(U₂N₃) has a body centered cubic crystal structure of the (Mn₂O₃) type with a space group of Ia3 .

UN has a face centered cubic crystal structure of the NaCl type. The metal component of the bond uses the 5f orbital of the uranium but forms a relatively weak interaction but is important for the crystal structure. The covalent portion of the bonds forms from the overlap between the 6d orbital and 7s orbital on the uranium and the 2p orbitals on the nitrogen. N forms a triple bond with uranium creating a linear structure.

Uranium nitrido derivatives

Recently, there have been many developments in the synthesis of complexes with terminal uranium nitride (–U≡N) bonds. In addition to radioactive concerns common to all uranium chemistry, production of uranium nitrido complexes has been slowed by harsh reaction conditions and solubility challenges. Nonetheless, syntheses of such complexes have been reported in the past few years, for example the three shown below among others. Other U≡N compounds have also been synthesized or observed with various structural features, such as bridging nitride ligands in di-/polynuclear species, and various oxidation states.