Ca3n2 is a red-brown, crystalline solid made up of calcium and nitrogen. It is a reducing agent, desiccant, and chemical analysis reagent. It is also a key ingredient in powder metallurgy. It can be reduced with zirconium, niobium, and hafnium oxides to produce a corresponding metal powder.

The chemical name of calcium nitride is Ca3N2. This formula is derived from the interchanging valencies of the two elements.

Calcium is an electropositive element, which forms a cation by donating two electrons from its outermost orbit or valence shell. Nitrogen is an anionic element, which accepts three extra electrons to complete its octet.

Nitride is an anionic form of nitrogen by accepting three extra electrons to complete its octet. It is a very stable compound that is used as a catalyst in many different types of reactions.

The ionic charge on a molecule is determined by the number of atoms it contains, not the charge of each atom. Simple ions (obtained from a single atom) are named by taking the root of the parent element's name and adding a suffix -ide, such as F- for fluoride, Br- for bromide, and S2- for sulfide.

tags: semiconductor semiconductor material