Periodic rings with commuting nilpotents (Q801008)

Let \(n>1\) be a fixed positive integer, let R be a periodic ring, and define \(I_ n\) to be the set of \(x\in R\) such that \(x^ n=x\). It is proved that if the nilpotent elements of R commute and \(I_ n\) is an ideal, then R is a subdirect product of a commutative nil ring and finite fields of at most n elements. This, of course, extends the known structure theorem for rings satisfying the identity \(x^ n=x\).