LiCN
lithium cyanide · lithium monocyanide
Lithium cyanide is a metastable, insulating chemical compound composed of lithium, carbon, and nitrogen.
About lithium cyanide
Lithium cyanide is a crystalline compound consisting of lithium, carbon, and nitrogen. As a wide-band-gap insulator, it exhibits distinct electronic properties that differentiate it from metallic or semiconducting materials. Its structural configuration has been the subject of significant investigation across multiple databases. Due to its position above the thermodynamic hull, this compound is considered inherently unstable under standard conditions. This metastability makes it a complex subject for experimental handling and theoretical modeling, often requiring specific environments to maintain its structural integrity.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for lithium cyanide, aggregated across 4 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.
Applications
Where lithium cyanide is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about lithium cyanide, answered from cross-validated data.
What is LiCN?
Lithium cyanide is a metastable, insulating chemical compound composed of lithium, carbon, and nitrogen.
What is LiCN used for?
What is the band gap of LiCN?
Is LiCN a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is LiCN thermodynamically stable?
How many polymorphs of LiCN are known?
What elements does LiCN contain?
Where does the data for LiCN come from?
How It Compares
As a unique chemical entity, lithium cyanide occupies a specialized role in inorganic chemistry, distinct from more stable binary or ternary salts. Unlike many highly stable ionic compounds, its tendency to exist in a metastable state necessitates careful consideration of its synthesis pathways and decomposition kinetics.
Data sources & attribution
- latticegraph — Lattice Graph Materials Intelligence Platform
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