Gold phosphide


Gold phosphides are inorganic compounds of gold and phosphorus. The only known gold phosphide is a metastable gold polyphosphide with the formula.
Older texts sometimes refer to a binary auric phosphide ; this hypothetical compound has not been verified by modern methods such as X-ray crystallography.

Preparation

Monoclinic is produced by direct reaction between metallic gold and red phosphorus at high temperatures over multiple days. The reaction produced only, with no other compounds observed across a wide variety of Au:P atom ratios.
Gold phosphide was purportedly prepared by the direct reaction of spongy gold and phosphorus or by passing phosphine into a solution of auric chloride in ether or alcohol:

Properties

is claimed to decompose in air or with.
It has a monoclinic crystal structure.

Related

A mixed anion phosphide iodide,, is known to possess a trigonal structure.