[bpyfiend]

I am wondering if someone can clarify something for me.  I have been working with p-benzene diamine.  When it's nice and pure, it's white to maybe faintly yellow. 

Recently I purchased 1,3,5-benzenetriamine hydrochloride.  This material literally looks like powdered rust.  Brown and dusty. 

So I attempted to dissolve some in formic acid (for a formylation reaction), and I couldn't see any go into solution (as the diamine does).  So  I tried to dissolve small quantities in organic solvents, water, dilute acid, methanol.  Nothing!

I ask because the supplier is giving me a difficult time about returning it for refund (it's nearly $400/gram) and asked for the full analysis to prove that it's "not right".

How do I go about proving my case.  Any references on amines literally dying of old age?

I guess in short--what is the oxidation/decomposition product? What happens to this functional group over time (and oxygen)?