phosphorus tricyanide

{{Chembox

| Name =

| ImageFile = P(CN)3.svg

| ImageSize =

| ImageAlt =

| IUPACName =

| OtherNames = {{ubl|Phosphorus(III) cyanide|Tricyanophosphine}}

| Section1 = {{Chembox Identifiers

| CASNo = 1116-01-4

| CASNo_Ref = {{cascite|correct|CAS}}

| ChemSpiderID = 120617

| PubChem = 136869

| StdInChI=1S/C3N3P/c4-1-7(2-5)3-6

| StdInChIKey = VXFKMOLPHLQGLH-UHFFFAOYSA-N

| SMILES = N#CP(C#N)C#N

}}

| Section2 = {{Chembox Properties

| Formula = {{chem2|P(CN)3}}

| P=1|C=3|N=3

| Appearance = white crystals

| Density =

| MeltingPt =

| BoilingPtC = 190

|BoilingPt_notes=sublimesNoeth, Heinrich; Vetter, Hans Joachim. Dialkylaminophosphoranes. II. Preparation and reaction of dimethylaminohalophosphoranes, (Me2N)3-nPXn. Chemische Berichte, 1963. 96: 1109-1118. {{issn|0009-2940}}.

| Solubility = }}

}}

Phosphorus tricyanide is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula {{chem2|P(CN)3|auto=1}}. It can be produced by the reaction of phosphorus trichloride and trimethyl(iso)cyanosilane.{{cite journal|journal=Journal of the American Chemical Society|volume=80|issue=16|language=en|issn=0002-7863|date=August 1958|pages=4151–4153|doi=10.1021/ja01549a010|url=https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ja01549a010|title=Trialkyl- and Triaryl(iso)cyanosilanes 1|accessdate=2022-06-15|author=T. A. Bither, W. H. Knoth, R. V. Lindsey, W. H. Sharkey|archive-date=2022-06-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625213536/https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ja01549a010|url-status=live}}{{cln|reason=What is the formula of trimethyl(iso)cyanosilane? What is the reaction?|date=March 2025}} The reaction of phosphorus tribromide and silver cyanide in diethyl ether produce phosphorus tricyanide too.

:{{chem2|PBr3 + 3 AgCN → P(CN)3 + 3 AgBr}}

Its thermal decomposition can produce graphite phase {{chem2|C3N3P}}.{{cite journal|journal=Chemistry of Materials|volume=27|issue=13|language=en|issn=0897-4756|date=2015-07-14|pages=4507–4510|doi=10.1021/acs.chemmater.5b01561|url=https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.chemmater.5b01561|title=P(CN) 3 Precursor for Carbon Phosphonitride Extended Solids|accessdate=2022-06-15|author=Brian L. Chaloux, Brendan L. Yonke, Andrew P. Purdy, James P. Yesinowski, Evan R. Glaser, Albert Epshteyn|archive-date=2022-06-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220615104557/https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.chemmater.5b01561|url-status=live}}

Phosphorus tricyanide reacts with pentacarbonylrhenium tetrafluoroborate to form {{chem2|{P[CN\-Re(CO)5]3}[BF4]3}}.{{cite journal|journal=Zeitschrift für anorganische und allgemeine Chemie|volume=641|issue=5|language=en|date=April 2015|pages=762–764|doi=10.1002/zaac.201500068|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/zaac.201500068|title=Organometallic Lewis Acids, Part LIX [1] Pentacarbonylrhenium Complexes with Phosphorus Tricyanide and Dicyanophosphide: Organometallic Lewis Acids, Part LIX|accessdate=2022-06-15|author=Wolfgang Sacher, Alfred Schmidpeter, Wolfgang Beck|archive-date=2022-06-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220615110052/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/zaac.201500068|url-status=live}}