(C 2 H 5 ) 3 P 



the Salts of Trietliylbenzylplwsplwnium. 



/C7H7 xi 



37 



(OsH,),!^ 



o-i-co 



qJJq O = 2(C 2 H 5 ) 3 PO + 2C 7 H 8 + C0 2 + CO. 



;C 7 H 7 



H 



Probably the water is "present in the crystals as water of 

 crystallization, and several attempts were made to estimate 

 the amount, bat owing to the deliquescent nature of the salt, 

 and the difficulty of separating the mother liquor from the 

 crystals, no constant numbers could be obtained. 



In conclusion, it is seen from the foregoing experiments, 

 that when the salts of trietbylbenzylphosphonium are subjected 

 to the action of heat, they differ in their mode of decom- 

 position from the corresponding tetrethylphosphonium com- 

 pounds. This is due probably to several causes, the chief 

 being the less stable nature of the salts, owing probably to 

 the introduction of the benzyl group ; they decompose there- 

 fore more easily, and in the majority of cases the hydrocarbon 

 radical detached from the molecule is the benzyl. The non- 

 existence of the normal carbonate is worthy of note ; and the 

 different decomposition suffered by the sulphate, when heated, 

 as compared with the sulphate of tetrethylphosphonium (which 

 latter salt yields almost equal amounts of the oxide and sulphide 

 of triethylphosphine) . 



Perhaps, however, the real point of interest is that when the 

 triethylbenzylphosphonium is united with oxyacids, the radical 

 separated from the phosphorus is invariably the benzyl* 



(C 2 H 



)P^ 



JC7-EL7 



O-I-COJH 



= (C.H.XPO + CHg + CO,; 



while with the chloride and bromide the radical detached is 

 the ethyl in the form of ethylene gas, 



/:C 2 H, 



H 



(C 2 H 5 ) 2 (C 7 H 7 )P^ 1 r = (C 2 H 5 ) 2 (C 7 H 7 )PHC1 + C 2 H 4 



V C1 



* It was remarkable though, that, during the evaporation of several of 

 the oxy salts, they should have given traces of a free phosphine, which 

 was apparently the diethylbenzylphosphine. 



