Analytical Determination of Nitride Nitrogen in Lithium Coolants

The corrosion behavior of stainless steels in liquid lithium is affected by the quantities of lithium nitride in lithium coolants. Monitoring the amounts of the nitride in lithium metal is important in the interpretation of liquid lithium corrosion results. Lithium nitride is determined by a titrimetric procedure that measures the ammonia evolved when lithium nitride dissolves in water. The ammonia is dissolved by a boric acid solution, which is then titrated with standard hydrochloric acid.