On rings whose prime radical contains all nilpotent elements of index two (Q1924919)

For an associative ring \(R\) with identity, let \(N(R)\) (resp. \(N_2(R)\)) denote the set of all nilpotent elements (resp. all nilpotent elements of index two) of \(R\) and let \(P(R)\) denote the prime radical of \(R\) i.e., \(P(R)\) is the intersection of the prime ideals of \(R\). \(R\) is said to be 2-primal if \(P(R)=N(R)\). The authors consider the following question of Birkenmeier, Heatherly and Lee: If \(N_2(R)\subseteq P(R)\), then is \(R\) 2-primal? The authors first answer the question in the negative. Next, they investigate extra conditions on \(R\) under which the above question has an affirmative answer. The possible extra conditions on \(R\), under each of which the answer is affirmative, are the following ones: (i) \(R\) is a right order in a right Artinian ring. (ii) \(R\) is a PI-ring with \(Z(R/P(R))=(Z(R)+P(R))/P(R)\) (\(Z(R)\) denotes the center of the ring \(R\)). (iii) \(R\) is an Azumaya algebra. (iv) \(R\) is a module-finite algebra over a commutative Noetherian ring \(C\) such that \(R/P(R)\) is torsion-free over \(\overline C=(C+P(R))/P(R)\). The authors close the paper with the following two questions: (1) If \(R\) is a module-finite algebra over its center, then is the answer to the above question affirmative? (2) If the answer to (1) is affirmative, is the answer affirmative for the above question in case of PI-rings?