White phosphorus burns spontaneously in chlorine to produce a mixture of two chlorides, phosphorus (ii) chloride and phosphorus(v) chloride and heat is evolved. Phosphorus (iii) chloride is a colorless fuming liquid: P4 + 6Cl2 = 4PCl3 Phosphorus (v) chloride is an off-white solid P4 +10Cl2 = 4PCl5
