Abstract
LEAD azide, PbN6, exists in two allotropic forms1,2, one (α) orthorhombic and the other (β) monoclinic. α-Lead azide is readily prepared by mixing in the normal way solutions containing azide and lead ions; β-lead azide crystallizes as needles when aqueous solutions of sodium azide and lead nitrate interdiffuse slowly1. Table 1 summarizes the crystallographic relations1,3. Both forms are explosive and α-lead azide is in common use as a detonator. It is said1,2 that β-lead azide is much more sensitive and dangerous than α-lead azide.
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GRAY, P., WADDINGTON, T. Sensitivity of Alpha- and Beta- Lead Azide. Nature 176, 653 (1955). https://doi.org/10.1038/176653a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/176653a0
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