Azide ion (N₃⁻)
- Charge
- −1
- Atoms
- N × 3
- Atoms in total
- 3
- Mass of the ion
- 42.021 g/mol
Azide is a straight chain of three nitrogen atoms with a 1− charge, which means the three atoms share one extra electron. It is the anion of hydrazoic acid, HN₃, and it has the same number of electrons and the same straight shape as carbon dioxide. Sodium azide was long used in car airbags, where it breaks down in milliseconds into a large volume of nitrogen gas.
- The name comes from azote, an old French name for nitrogen, plus the -ide ending.
- Heavy-metal azides such as lead(II) azide, Pb(N₃)₂, explode when struck and are used in detonators.
- Sodium azide, NaN₃, is also highly toxic and is added to some lab samples to stop bacteria from growing.