I have read some texts about making nitrogen trichloride, also called
chloride of Azode. Does anybody know anything about this chemical. I
have tried to get some info about this chemical on WWW and other
places, but I really haven't found anything usefull.
There do NOTHING use full in chloride azote, OK it has been used to
bleach flour.
Form the depths of my HD.
Nitrogen chloride is considered to be one of the most dangerous bodies to handle, owing to the facility with which it explodes, by shock, friction, or contact with various bodies.
M. Berthelot 1892
Nitrogen trichloride was discovered by my good friend, physician and professor of physics at the École Polytechnique Pierre Louis Dulong. I first meet him at Berthollet’s home at Arcueil just south of Paris, where Berthollet had settled following his return from Napoleon’s abortive Egyptian campaign. All the greats meet their; Berthollet’s neighbour Laplace, Arago, Bérand, Biot, Amédée Berthollet (Claude’s son), Chaptal, Collet-Desostils, de Candolle, Gay-Lussac, Humboldt, Malus, Poisson and Thernard. Napoleon showed his approval of our meetings by allowing the use of the title “Société d’Arcueil” for our gatherings.
Pierre D. first published notice of his discovery in Schweigger’s J. Chem. Pharm. 8, 32 (1812). Shortly there after he lost and eye and three fingers when a sample exploded in his laboratory!! Indeed, our mutual friend Humphry Davy was also severely injured although happily not maimed by an unexpected explosion of a small quantity of Pierre’s “une nouvelle substance detonnante”. [Later Gay-Lussac and Thernard suffered from inhaling hydrogen fluoride fumes.]
“The preparation and handling of this compound requires the greatest care. Every vessel employed must be washed by alkali-lye in order to free it from grease; even grease from the fingers may cause an explosion. The substance
[yellow oily liquid] is very liable to spontaneous explosion, and thick gloves, and a face shield are indispensable.” It is also possible to cause it to explode by exposure to strong sun light or the light of a magnesium flame!
Small amounts of nitrogen trichloride can be created during the production of chlorine:
3.4 Other Nitrogen Trichloride Incidents
1949, February 4 and 6. Croton Lake Gate House, New York City Water Supply.
The official report is as follows: "A ton container (No. 3058) which had been shipped from Syracuse on multi unit car SPX 8501, was reported leaking by the foreman of Croton Lake Gate House. The container, which had been placed in vertical storage, was placed under vacuum hood, and the water injector was apparently carrying off the fumes satisfactorily.
Solvay arranged to get our Chlorine Emergency Kit from South Kearny, New Jersey. Mr. Weil arrived on Thursday morning, February 5th, and proceeded to investigate. The hood was raised and after removing the valve hat, it was found the leak was through the threads at the base of the valve. It was apparent that erosion and progressed too far to permit stopping the leak by tightening the valve. Accordingly the capping device from the emergency kit was applied and the leak stopped.
A temporary line was connected from the container to the chlorine gas manifold in the adjacent chlorinator room. An experimental Wallace & Tiernan chlorinator was operating from the chlorine manifold at a rate of 2040 pounds (approximately 1/3 capacity), equivalent to a feed of 170 lb. of chlorine in two hours. Five other vertical ton containers on individual scales were also connected to the manifold, but all were shut off when No. 3058 was opened to the line.
A water shower (38o) was applied with sufficient flow to prevent ice forming on the outside of the container. However, this did not provide sufficient flow of gas, and so container in No. 3 position was opened sufficiently to maintain 8 to 10 pounds pressure at the chlorinator.
Various readings were recorded at two hour intervals to establish the amount of chlorine removed from No. 3058. It was planned to continue use of the chlorine by this method until the container was empty.
On February 6 the container, apparently empty, was turned off at 9:00 P.M. and exploded at 9:40 with a report heard across the lake.
Ton container No. 3058 had ruptured the side wall nearly all around the circumference near the chime opposite the valve end. A roughly oval section about 18" x 11" blew out nearly completely. The container fell over and rested with the base only about two feet from the center of the original position.
The upper part of a 12 inch diameter cast iron wheel was broken from the ton container carrying rig which was standing nearby, and the two broken pieces were found respectively about 24 ft. and 29 ft. away. A step ladder was crushed, and the floor and adjacent brick wall were splashed with a reddish brown substance apparently iron chloride. Two upright pegs (about 8" length of 3/4" pipe) from the small skid on which the container had been standing were torn off and found about 18 ft. away in one direction and about 20 ft. in the opposite direction. The water shower rig was lying nearby apparently undamaged.
The emergency device No. 3 had jarred loose but remained inside the chime. The chlorine line was still attached, with the valve on the container wide open but with the valve at the manifold closed and no chlorine leaking into the container from that source.
I have more.