Conductance and spectral studies of chlorides of Group III and Group IV representative elements in acetonitrile

Abstract

Solutions of phosphorus pentachloride, antimony pentachloride, arsenic trichloride, boron trichloride, and aluminium trichloride in acetonitrile were studied by i.r. spectroscopy and conductance measurements. Whereas antimony pentachloride is a strong electrolyte at high dilutions, arsenic trichloride was shown to be essentially a non-electrolyte. Boron trichloride, aluminium trichloride, and phoshorus pentachloride are weak electrolytes of varying degrees. Ionization–dissociation mechanisms are suggested for phosphorus pentachloride, antimony pentachloride, and boron trichloride.