Thermal behavior of alkali metal azides in NaY-FAU zeolite

The thermal behavior of pure alkali metal azides and their mechanical mixtures with NaY-FAU zeolite was investigated by means of thermogravimetry and IR spectroscopy. LiN₃, KN₃, RbN₃ and CsN₃ were prepared from NaN₃ by ion-exchange. The pure azides exhibited low thermal stability, hindering the precise spectroscopic characterization in some cases. The decomposition of each azide in the zeolite took place above the temperature characteristic for the pure azide, demonstrating the stabilization of the azide in the zeolite cavities. This feature was the only common characteristic established for the azide/zeolite systems.The financial support of the National Science Foundation of Hungary (OTKA 1604/91) is gratefully acknowledged.