Lamellar Compounds of Graphite with Chromyl Chloride and Chromyl Fluoride

Abstract

THE ability of graphite to form lamellar compounds by occluding certain other substances (fluorine, boron, oxygen, potassium, rubidium, caesium and ferric chloride) between its layer planes has been known for a considerable time. No new compounds of this type have, however, been reported for the past fifteen years, though attempts have been made to intercalate other volatile compounds in graphite. Thus Rüedorff and Schulz¹, who studied the ferric chloride complex, were unable to prepare graphite complexes with either the triiodides or chlorides of arsenic, antimony and bismuth, and also failed to effect the intercalation of aluminium chloride. We have recently succeeded in preparing graphite complexes by the action of chromyl chloride and chromyl fluoride on graphite.