Definition

Noun: 1. A chemical compound: A colorless, volatile, poisonous, and foul-smelling liquid that is highly explosive. Its chemical formula is HN₃.

Usage

• As a subject: "Hydrogen azide must be handled with extreme care in a laboratory."
• As an object: "The researchers synthesized a small quantity of hydrogen azide for their experiment."
• With modifiers: "The unstable nature of hydrogen azide makes it dangerous to store."

Examples

• "Due to its explosive properties, hydrogen azide is primarily used in specialized research and not in large-scale industrial applications."
• "The characteristic foul odor of hydrogen azide serves as a warning of its presence."
• "In chemistry, hydrogen azide is the parent compound of the inorganic azide salts."

Advanced Usage

• Chemical Context: In advanced chemical discourse, "hydrogen azide" is discussed in relation to its molecular structure, its behavior as a weak acid (forming azide ions, N₃⁻, in solution), and its use in preparing other azide compounds.
  • Example: "The dissociation constant of hydrogen azide indicates it is a weaker acid than acetic acid."

Variants and Related Words

• Hydrazoic acid: This is the systematic IUPAC name for the same compound, HN₃. The terms "hydrogen azide" and "hydrazoic acid" are used interchangeably in chemistry.
• Azide (noun): The anion N₃⁻ or any salt containing this anion (e.g., sodium azide, NaN₃). Hydrogen azide is the simplest covalent azide.
• HN₃: The chemical formula for hydrogen azide.

Synonyms

• Hydrazoic acid: The direct synonym and formal chemical name.

Notes on Meaning

• The definition combines several key properties: its physical state (colorless liquid), its hazardous characteristics (explosive, poisonous, foul-smelling), and its chemical nature (volatile compound). It is primarily a technical term used in chemistry and safety documentation.

Noun

1. a colorless explosive liquid that is volatile and poisonous and foul-smelling