Uranium tetrafluoride is exposed to ammonia gas under high pressure and temperature, which replaces the fluorine with nitrogen and generates hydrogen fluoride.

Use of the isotope 15N (which constitutes around 0.37% of natural nitrogen) is preferable because the predominant isotope, 14N, has a significant neutron absorption cross section which affects neutron economy and, in particular, it undergoes an (n,p) reaction which produces significant amounts of radioactive 14C which would need to be carefully contained and sequestered during reprocessing or permanent storage.

UN is considered superior because of its higher fissionable density, thermal conductivity, and melting temperature than the most common nuclear fuel, uranium oxide (UO2), while also demonstrating lower release of fission product gases and swelling, and decreased chemical reactivity with cladding materials.

[9][12] The thermal conductivity is on the order of 4–8 times higher than that of uranium dioxide, the most commonly used nuclear fuel, at typical operating temperatures.

[4] The uranium dinitride (UN2) compound has a face-centered cubic crystal structure of the calcium fluoride (CaF2) type with a space group of Fm3m.

[14][16] The metal component of the bond uses the 5f orbital of the uranium but forms a relatively weak interaction but is important for the crystal structure.

[18][19] Other U≡N compounds have also been synthesized or observed with various structural features, such as bridging nitride ligands in di-/polynuclear species, and various oxidation states.