Crystal Structure Refinement of Lead Cyanamide and the Stiffness of the Cyanamide Anion

The crystal structure of lead cyanamide, PbNCN, has been refined on the basis of a single crystal grown from solution. PbNCN crystallizes in space group Pnma (Z = 4) with a = 555.66(4) pm, b = 386.77(2) pm, and c = 1173.50(8) pm. The cyanamide anion exhibits C–N bond lengths of 116 pm and 130 pm, and the N–C–N angle is 176°. Quantum‐chemical DFT calculations indicate that the cyanamide unit is comparatively easy to distort.