6602. Nitrogen Chloride

Nomenclature

CAS number: 10025-85-1
Nitrogen trichloride; chlorine nitride; trichlorine nitride; Agene.
Cl3N; mol wt 120.37.
Cl 88.36%, N 11.64%.
NCl3.

Description and references

Prepared by the action of chlorine gas or hypochlorous acid on ammonium salts: Dulong, Ann. Chim. Phys. [1] 86, 37 (1813); Balard, ibid. [2] 57, 258 (1834); Hentschel, Ber. 30, 1792, 2642 (1897); Noyes, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 42, 2173 (1920); by reaction of anhydr ammonia and anhydr chlorine: Noyes, Haw, ibid. 2167; industrially by electrolyzing an acidified soln of ammonium chloride: US 2118903 (1938), DE 641816 (1937); GB 494188 (1938); for bleaching flour by blowing an air stream containing hydrogen chloride gas through a bed of finely powdered ammonium chloride and potassium hypochlorite distributed on an inert carrier to form a gas mixture of chlorine dioxide and nitrogen chloride: GB 597199 (1948). Review: Richards in Mellor's Vol. VIII, supplement II, Nitrogen (part 2), 411-415 (1967).

Properties

Yellow, thick, oily liquid, d 1.653, pungent odor, evaporates rapidly in air, very unstable. Dec in light, vapor pressure at room temp is ≈150 mm Hg. Explodes when heated to 93°, subjected to a flash of direct sunlight or magnesium light, sealed in glass containers at 60° after 13 seconds, frozen in liquid air and thawed in vacuo, in contact with ozone, nitric oxide, grease, and several organic substances. Insol in water. Dec in water after 24 hours, sol in carbon disulfide, phosphorus trichloride, benzene, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform.

Use

Bleaching of flour; wastage control of citrus fruit.