KN3

Potassium azide · Potassium trinitride

Potassium azide is a stable, insulating inorganic salt widely utilized as a chemical reagent for nitrogen-based synthesis.

KN
Crystal structure of KN3
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Potassium azide

Potassium azide is a stable inorganic salt characterized by its wide-gap insulating electronic structure. As a member of the alkali metal azide family, it occupies a secure position on the thermodynamic convex hull, indicating significant structural stability under standard conditions.

Its unique chemical properties make it a valuable reagent in organic synthesis, particularly for the introduction of the azide functional group. The compound is frequently studied for its structural diversity, with numerous reported crystalline arrangements that highlight its complex lattice behavior.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Potassium azide, aggregated across 4 databases.

Band Gap

3.90 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
2 DFT sources

Structures

25
4 databases, 10 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of KN3. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

1.00 / 1.00
Trust tier: medium

Hull Spread

0.000 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

2
jarvis, materials_project

Space Group Consensus

All match
Uses

Applications

Where Potassium azide is used.

Organic synthesisLaboratory reagentEnergetic materials research
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Potassium azide, answered from cross-validated data.

What is KN3?

Potassium azide is a stable, insulating inorganic salt widely utilized as a chemical reagent for nitrogen-based synthesis.

More questions
What is KN3 used for?
Potassium azide (KN3) is used in organic synthesis, laboratory reagent, and energetic materials research.
What is the band gap of KN3?
Potassium azide (KN3) has a DFT-computed band gap of 3.90 eV across 25 reported structures.
Is KN3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a wide band gap up to 3.90 eV it is an insulator / wide-band-gap material.
Is KN3 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Potassium azide (KN3) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
How many polymorphs of KN3 are known?
25 structures of KN3 are reported across 4 databases, spanning 10 distinct space groups.
What elements does KN3 contain?
Potassium azide (KN3) contains K and N (2 elements).
Where does the data for KN3 come from?
KN3 data is cross-referenced from latticegraph.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a primary inorganic azide, this compound serves as a fundamental reference point for the study of alkali metal-nitrogen bonding and structural stability within its class.

Data sources & attribution
  • latticegraph — Lattice Graph Materials Intelligence Platform

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