Iron(III) azide, also called ferric azide, is a chemical compound with the formula Fe(N3)3. It is an extremely explosive, impact-sensitive, hygroscopic dark brown solid. This compound is used to prepare various azidoalkanes, such as n-butyl azide, from alkenes via formation of alkylboranes and subsequent anti-Markovnikov addition of azide group.[2]
Iron(III) azide can also be formed by pulse gamma-irradiation of a mixture of iron(II) perchlorate, sodium azide, and hydrogen peroxide.[3] Under these conditions, a neutral N3radical is formed, which oxidizes the iron(II) to iron(III); the iron(III) then promptly combines with azide ions.
References
^"10". Chemical Abstracts: Volume 11. the University of Michigan: American Chemical Society. 1917. p. 2901.
^George V. Buxton; Igor Janovský (1976). "Mechanism of the oxidation of iron(II) by the azide radical". Journal of the Chemical Society, Faraday Transactions 1: Physical Chemistry in Condensed Phases. 72: 1884–1886. doi:10.1039/F19767201884.