sodamide a white crystalline compound used as a dehydrating agent, as a chemical reagent, and in making sodium cyanide. Formula NaNH 2Also called sodium amide.
Sodium amide is used in the industrial production of indigo, hydrazine, and sodium cyanide. It is the reagent of choice for the drying of ammonia (liquid or gaseous) and is also widely used as a strong base in organic chemistry, often in liquid ammonia solution.
Sodium amide can be prepared by the reaction of sodium with ammonia gas, but it is usually prepared by the reaction in liquid ammonia using iron(III) nitrate as a catalyst. The reaction is fastest at the boiling point of the ammonia, c. −33 °C. An electride, [Na(NH3)6]+e−, is formed as a reaction intermediate.
sodamide. / (ˈsəʊdəˌmaɪd) / noun. a white crystalline compound used as a dehydrating agent, as a chemical reagent, and in making sodium cyanide. Formula: NaNH 2Also called: sodium amide.
