Zinc azide

Zinc azide (Zn(N3)2) is an inorganic compound composed of zinc and azide. It is a white, explosive solid that can be prepared by the protonolysis of diethylzinc with hydrazoic acid:
Properties.
Zinc azide is a coordination polymer which crystallizes in three polymorphs, all of which feature tetrahedral zinc centers and bridging azide ligands. α-Zn(N3)2 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group and is stable, while the other two polymorphs are metastable. "P"21/"n". β-Zn(N3)2 is trigonal, space group "P"3221, and γ-Zn(N3)2 is monoclinic, space group "C"2.
It is easily hydrolyzed, and attempts to prepare it in aqueous solution resulted in the precipitation of basic azides Zn(OH)2-x(N3)x ("x" = 0.9–1.0). Both the α- and β-forms were found to be very friction- and shock-sensitive, violently exploding in blue flashes, but can be made to decompose slowly by gentle heating, giving off nitrogen gas. In a sealed glass tube with inert atmosphere, this yields zinc nitride, Zn3N2.