By passing potassium ethoxide solution (flask at left) through a column packed with red phosphorus (top), chemists created a continuous process for making polyphosphide salts (flask at right). Credit: Courtesy of Shatruk group
Florida State University chemists have now solved that problem by discovering an easy way to convert red phosphorus to soluble polyphosphides (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016, DOI: 10.1002/anie.201511186). Alina Dragulescu-Andrasi, a postdoctoral researcher in Michael Shatruk’s group, provided details of the approach during a Division of Inorganic Chemistry symposium on Monday at the American Chemical Society national meeting in San Diego.
The team simply passes a solution of inexpensive potassium ethoxide in an organic solvent through red phosphorus under mild heating to produce P5–, P162-, and P213-. These variously sized clusters, which the researchers isolate as potassium or tetrabutylammonium salts, could be used to synthesize phosphorus compounds or to make two-dimensional semiconductors and lithium-ion battery anodes.
Taking the process a step further, the researchers adapted it to run as a continuous-flow reaction by passing potassium ethoxide through a stainless-steel column packed with red phosphorus, generating multigram amounts of the soluble polyphosphides. The Florida State team’s work is funded in part by a Small Business Innovation Research grant in collaboration withChemring Ordnance, a Florida-based munitions company.
“This appears to be a relatively safe and convenient methodology for generating soluble salts of polyphosphide anions,” commented MIT’s Christopher C. Cummins, who builds new compoundsfrom elemental phosphorus. “It should open the door to more widespread study and application of these interesting little bits of reduced phosphorus.”
By Steve Ritter for Chemical & Engineering News
Link: http://acssandiego2016.cenmag.org/chemists-discover-a-safe-green-method-to-process-red-phosphorus/
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