Copper phosphides

White phosphorus. This element burns in air and can produce severe thermal and chemical burns. It may reignite on drying. After washing, rapid but brief treatment with copper sulphate (to avoid systemic absorption and copper poisoning) is used to convert the phosphorus to copper phosphide which is then removed Hydrogen fluoride. This can form painful but delayed necrosis. Treat with calcium gluconate locally and monitoring of serum calcium levels, with administration of calcium where necessary... 

In A. Rosenheim and J. Pinsker s modification of J. Corne s process, 100 grms. of copper turnings are added to a mixture of 100 c.c. of water and 200 c.c. of nitric acid (sp. gr. 14) in a 3-litre flask. When the intensity of the reaction has subsided, yellow phosphorus is gradually added while the temp, is maintained between 50° and 70°. When the clear colourless liquid is decanted off, the copper is all precipitated as copper phosphide and spongy copper, and half is neutralized with sodium carbonate, and mixed with the other half. Crystals of the sodium salt, Na2H2P20e.4H20, separate after a time. The yield with copper nitrate is 10 per cent, of the theoretical, but is not so good if silver nitrate is used in place of copper. 

Small Quantities (White Phosphorus). Wear nitrile rubber gloves, laboratory coat, and eye protection. Work in the fume hood. Five g (0.16 mol) of white phosphorus are cut under water into 5mm pellets. The pellets are added to 800 mL (0.8 mol) of 1 M cupric sulfate (127.7 g or 199.7 g of CuS04 or CuS04-5H20, respectively, dissolved in 800 mL of water) solution in a 2-L beaker. The mixture is allowed to stand for about a week with occasional stirring. The phosphorus grad-ually disappears, and a fine black precipitate of copper and copper phosphide is formed. The reaction is complete when no waxy white phosphorus is observed when one of the pellets is cut under water. The precipitate is separated, and while still wet, transferred to 500 mL of laundry bleach (5% sodium hypochlorite), and then stirred for about 1 hour to ensure complete decomposition of copper phosphide. The solids are separated and packaged for disposal. The aqueous solution is washed into the drain.33... 

Phosphorus(III) fluoride can be prepared by the reaction of antimony (III) fluoride with phosphorus (III) chloride, using antimony (V) chloride as a catalyst,1 or by heating copper phosphide with lead fluoride.2 The procedure described here involves the reaction of arsenic(III) fluoride with phosphorus (III) chloride, using antimony(Y) chloride as a catalyst.3,4... 

Cobalt Subphosphide, Co2P.—This substance may be obtained by-heating finely divided cobalt with copper phosphide in the electric furnace 7,- by heating pellets of the metal with red phosphorus in a... 

Copper, Silver and Gold Phosphides.—The copper phosphides are crystalline compounds of metallic appearance and properties which are usually prepared by direct union of the elements.8 Phosphorus begins to combine with copper at about 400° C., and at 700° C. the copper was found to take up 20 per cent.,9 some of which was expelled at higher temperatures. Slightly above the melting-point of the phosphide 14 per cent, was retained, which corresponds to tri-cuprous phosphide, Cu3P.9 The velocity of the combination increases between 600° and 700° C.10 At ordinary pressures 15 per cent, of phosphorus is the limit of the amount which will remain dissolved in the fused mixture, and some of this is present as red phosphorus.11... 

Phosphorus Trifluoride, PF3.—Some early indications were obtained that phosphorus reacted with fluorides of zinc and lead,1,2 and that the fluoride resulting was a gas.3 This gas was prepared in 1884 by heating lead fluoride with copper phosphide in a brass tube.4 It is also produced by the action of fluorides of zinc, silver or lead on phosphorus trichloride or tribromide.5 One of the most convenient methods of preparation is by the reaction between arsenic trifluoride, which is easily prepared and purified, and phosphorus trichloride, thus —... 

Oxidation of yellow phosphorus by copper nitrate in the presence of nitric acid at about 60° C. also yielded hypophosphoric acid along with phosphoric acid and copper phosphide.4 These reactions have been expressed by the equations... 

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