Erbium(III) chloride
Erbium(III) chloride hydrate photographed in sunlight
Names
IUPAC name
Erbium(III) chloride
Other names
Erbium trichloride
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.030.337 Edit this at Wikidata
EC Number
  • 233-385-0
UNII
  • InChI=1S/3ClH.Er/h3*1H;/q;;;+3/p-3 checkY
    Key: HDGGAKOVUDZYES-UHFFFAOYSA-K checkY
  • InChI=1/3ClH.Er/h3*1H;/q;;;+3/p-3
    Key: HDGGAKOVUDZYES-DFZHHIFOAE
  • Cl[Er](Cl)Cl
Properties
ErCl3 (anhydrous)
ErCl3·6H2O (hexahydrate)
Molar mass 273.62 g/mol (anhydrous)
381.71 g/mol (hexahydrate)
Appearance violet hygroscopic monoclinic crystals (anhydrous)
pink hygroscopic crystals (hexahydrate)
Density 4.1 g/cm3 (anhydrous)
Melting point 776 °C (1,429 °F; 1,049 K) (anhydrous)
decomposes (hexahydrate)
Boiling point 1,500 °C (2,730 °F; 1,770 K)
soluble in water (anhydrous)
slightly soluble in ethanol (hexahydrate)[1]
Structure[2]
monoclinic
C2/m, No. 12
a = 6.80 Å, b = 11.79 Å, c = 6.39 Å
α = 90°, β = 110.7°, γ = 90°
479 Å3
4
Related compounds
Other anions
 Erbium(III) oxide
Other cations
 Holmium(III) chloride, Thulium(III) chloride
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Erbium(III) chloride is a violet solid with the formula ErCl3. It is used in the preparation of erbium metal.

Preparation

Erbium(III) chloride hydrate photographed under a fluorescent lamp

Anhydrous erbium(III) chloride can be produced by the ammonium chloride route.[3][4][5] In the first step, erbium(III) oxide is heated with ammonium chloride to produce the ammonium salt of the pentachloride:

Er2O3 + 10 [NH4]Cl → 2 [NH4]2ErCl5 + 6 H2O + 6 NH3

In the second step, the ammonium chloride salt is converted to the trichloride by heating in a vacuum at 350-400 °C:

[NH4]2ErCl5 → ErCl3 + 2 HCl + 2 NH3

Structural data

Erbium(III) chloride forms crystals of the AlCl3 type, with monoclinic crystals and the point group C2/m.[2]

Erbium(III) chloride hexahydrate also forms monoclinic crystals with the point group of P2/n (P2/c) - C42h. In this compound, erbium is octa-coordinated to form [Er(H2O)6Cl2]+ ions with the isolated Cl− completing the structure.[6]

Optical properties

Erbium(III) chloride solutions show a negative nonlinear absorption effect.[7][clarification needed]

Catalytic properties

The use of erbium(III) chloride as a catalyst has been demonstrated in the acylation of alcohols and phenols[8] and in an amine functionalisation of furfural.[9] It is a catalyst for Friedel–Crafts-type reactions, and can be used in place of cerium(III) chloride for Luche reductions.[10]

References

  1. ^ Lide, David R. (1998). Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (87 ed.). Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. pp. 4–57. ISBN 0-8493-0594-2.
  2. ^ a b Tempelton DH, Carter GF (1954). "The Crystal Structure of Yttrium Trichloride and Similar Compounds". J Phys Chem. 58 (11): 940–943. doi:10.1021/j150521a002.
  3. ^ Brauer, G., ed. (1963). Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry (2nd ed.). New York: Academic Press.
  4. ^ Meyer, G. (1989). "The Ammonium Chloride Route to Anhydrous Rare Earth Chlorides—The Example of Ycl 3". The Ammonium Chloride Route to Anhydrous Rare Earth Chlorides-The Example of YCl3. Inorganic Syntheses. Vol. 25. pp. 146–150. doi:10.1002/9780470132562.ch35. ISBN 978-0-470-13256-2.
  5. ^ Edelmann, F. T.; Poremba, P. (1997). Herrmann, W. A. (ed.). Synthetic Methods of Organometallic and Inorganic Chemistry. Vol. VI. Stuttgart: Georg Thieme Verlag. ISBN 978-3-13-103021-4.
  6. ^ Graebner EJ, Conrad GH, Duliere SF (1966). "Crystallographic data for solvated rare earth chlorides". Acta Crystallographica. 21 (6): 1012–1013. doi:10.1107/S0365110X66004420.
  7. ^ Maeda Y, Akidzuki Y, Yamada T (1998). "All-optical liquid device derived from negative nonlinear absorption effect in an erbium chloride solution". Applied Physics Letters. 73 (17): 2411–2413. Bibcode:1998ApPhL..73.2411M. doi:10.1063/1.122450.
  8. ^ Dalpozzo Renato, De Nino Antonio, Maiuolo Loredana, Oliverio Manuela, Procopio Antonio, Russo Beatrice, Tocci Amedeo (2007) Erbium(iii) Chloride: a Very Active Acylation Catalyst. Australian Journal of Chemistry 60, 75-79. doi:10.1071/CH06346
  9. ^ Synthesis of trans-4,5-Bis-dibenzylaminocyclopent-2-enone from Furfural Catalyzed by ErCl3·6H2O Mónica S. Estevão, Ricardo J. V. Martins, and Carlos A. M. Afonso Journal of Chemical Education 2017 94 (10), 1587-1589 {DOI|10.1021/acs.jchemed.6b00470}
  10. ^ Luche, Jean-Louis (2001-04-15), "Erbium(III) Chloride", in John Wiley & Sons, Ltd (ed.), Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis, Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, pp. re006, doi:10.1002/047084289x.re006, ISBN 978-0-471-93623-7
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