AgNO2
Silver nitrite · Silver(I) nitrite
Silver nitrite is a metastable, semiconducting inorganic salt widely used as a reagent for chemical synthesis.

About Silver nitrite
Silver nitrite is a semiconducting inorganic compound that exists in a metastable state. Its chemical behavior is defined by its sensitivity to light and its role as a source of the nitrite ion in various chemical transformations.
Because of its unique reactivity, this compound is frequently employed in laboratory settings for specific organic synthesis pathways. Its structural diversity is highlighted by the multiple reported configurations documented across chemical databases, reflecting its complex coordination chemistry.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for Silver nitrite, aggregated across 3 databases.
Band GapEnergy needed to move an electron from the valence band to the conduction band. Lower or zero values tend to behave more metallic; larger gaps are more insulating or semiconducting.
Energy Above HullThermodynamic distance from the most stable set of competing phases. 0 eV/atom is on the convex hull; small positive values may still be experimentally accessible.
StabilityA plain-language summary of the best reported energy-above-hull result. It reflects whether the lowest-energy structure is on, near, or far from the stability hull.
StructuresCount of reported calculated crystal structures for this formula, including alternate polymorphs, source databases, and observed space groups.
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for AgNO2, ranked by energy above hull.
| Space GroupSymmetry classification of the crystal arrangement. The number is the international space-group index. | Crystal SystemBroad lattice family, such as cubic, tetragonal, monoclinic, or triclinic, derived from unit-cell symmetry. | Band Gap (eV)Electronic gap calculated for this specific reported structure, measured in electronvolts. | E above hull (eV/atom)Thermodynamic distance from the convex hull for this structure, normalized per atom. Lower is generally more stable. | E/atom (eV)Computed total energy normalized per atom. Use energy above hull, not this value alone, when comparing stability. | Density (g/cm³)Mass per relaxed crystal volume, reported in grams per cubic centimeter. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C2 (No. 5) | monoclinic | 1.44 | 0.0694 | -5.767 | 3.95 |
| Imm2 (No. 44) | orthorhombic | 1.79 | 0.0764 | -5.760 | 4.04 |
| P21/c (No. 14) | monoclinic | 0.17 | 0.5533 | -5.850 | 4.02 |
| Imm2 (No. 44) | — | — | — | — | — |
| C2 (No. 5) | — | — | — | — | — |
| C2 (No. 5) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 3.95 |
| C2 (No. 5) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 4.14 |
| C2 (No. 5) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 3.99 |
| Imm2 (No. 44) | Orthorhombic | — | — | — | 4.04 |
| Imm2 (No. 44) | Orthorhombic | — | — | — | 4.24 |
| Imm2 (No. 44) | Orthorhombic | — | — | — | 4.09 |
| P4mm (No. 99) | — | — | — | — | — |
Applications
Where Silver nitrite is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Silver nitrite, answered from cross-validated data.
What is AgNO2?
Silver nitrite is a metastable, semiconducting inorganic salt widely used as a reagent for chemical synthesis.
What is AgNO2 used for?
What is the band gap of AgNO2?
Is AgNO2 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is AgNO2 thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of AgNO2?
What is the density of AgNO2?
How many polymorphs of AgNO2 are known?
What elements does AgNO2 contain?
Where does the data for AgNO2 come from?
How It Compares
As a distinct inorganic compound, silver nitrite serves as a critical reagent in synthetic chemistry, functioning as a specialized tool for introducing nitrogen-containing groups into organic molecules where other nitrite salts might be less effective or reactive.
Data sources & attribution
- materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
- jarvis — Data from JARVIS (NIST). Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020).
- mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.
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