STOKES.] 
HIGHER CHLORONITRIDES. 
135 
neutral solvents, but absorbs benzene, swelling to many times its 
original volume and forming a jelly of but little coherence; on evap- 
orating the benzene it returns to its original condition. Ether is 
absorbed, but less readily, and other chloronitrides are taken up in a 
similar manner. Hot water slowly dissolves it with decomposition; in 
warm dilute ammonia it swells, gelatinizes, and finally dissolves; hot 
caustic soda does not dissolve it readily, apparently insoluble sodium 
salts being formed. It begins to depolymerize toward 350°, and this 
change is rapid just below red heat, and is accompanied by partial 
fusion, the products being, as described above, a mixture of lower 
phosphonitrilic chlorides. These transformations are not modified by 
heating in an atmosphere of hydrochloric acid. When perfectly pure, 
it leaves no residue whatever on distilling. No difference could be 
detected in the product formed from different phosphonitrilic chlorides. 
Nitrilo-hexaphosphonitrilic chloride, P 6 N 7 C1 9 . — The separation of this 
chloronitride, which does not belong to the phosphonitrilic chloride 
series, is described above. After four crystallizations from benzene, 
it gave : 
Calculated for 
P 6 N 7 C1 9 . 
30.84 
16.29 
52.87 
Fouud. 
30. 71 
16.29 
53. 01 
P 
N 
CI 
A molecular weight determination, kindly made for me by Dr. H. 0. 
Jones, of the Johns Hopkins University, with a limited quantity of 
material, in benzene solution, gave 067; calculated for P<;N 7 01 9 , 603.5. 
This, with the analysis, suffices to establish the above molecular 
formula. 
Nitrilo-hexaphosphonitrilic chloride strikingly resembles the phospho- 
nitrilic chlorides. It fuses at 237.5° (corrected) and boils at 2510-261° 
(corrected) at 13 millimeters without change. The boiling point coin- 
cides closely with that of hexaphosphonitrilic chloride (201°-263°, cor- 
rected at 13 millimeters), hence it is found associated with the latter. 
Heated in small quantities on foil, it volatilizes without residue, but at 
a higher temperature in a sealed tube it undergoes a change the exact 
nature of which has not been determined, but which involves the form 
ation of a substance resembling polyphosphonitrilic chloride, which 
yields lower phosphonitrilic chlorides on distilling. It crystallizes in 
transparent prisms of not more than 1 millimeter in length, apparently 
rhombic, which are often united to acicular forms. When pulverized 
it becomes electrified, it dissolves in about 20 parts cold and 5 parts 
boiling benzene, 1 is more soluble in carbon disulphide, but less soluble 
Approximate only 
