Silver perchlorate is the

chemical compound A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element ...

with the formula AgClO₄. This white solid forms a monohydrate and is mildly

deliquescent Hygroscopy is the phenomenon of attracting and holding water molecules via either absorption (chemistry), absorption or adsorption from the surrounding Natural environment, environment, which is usually at normal or room temperature. If water mol ...

. It is a useful source of the Ag⁺ ion, although the presence of

perchlorate A perchlorate is a chemical compound containing the perchlorate ion, , the conjugate base of perchloric acid (ionic perchlorate). As counterions, there can be metal cations, quaternary ammonium cations or other ions, for example, nitronium cat ...

presents risks. It is used as a

catalyst Catalysis () is the increase in rate of a chemical reaction due to an added substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed by the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recycles quick ...

in organic chemistry.

Production

Silver perchlorate is created by heating a mixture of

perchloric acid Perchloric acid is a mineral acid with the formula H Cl O4. It is an oxoacid of chlorine. Usually found as an aqueous solution, this colorless compound is a stronger acid than sulfuric acid, nitric acid and hydrochloric acid. It is a powerful oxid ...

with

silver nitrate Silver nitrate is an inorganic compound with chemical formula . It is a versatile precursor to many other silver compounds, such as those used in photography. It is far less sensitive to light than the halides. It was once called ''lunar causti ...

. Alternatively, it can be prepared by the reaction between barium perchlorate and silver sulfate, or from the reaction of perchloric acid with

silver oxide Silver oxide is the chemical compound with the formula Ag2 O. It is a fine black or dark brown powder that is used to prepare other silver compounds. Preparation Silver oxide can be prepared by combining aqueous solutions of silver nitrate and ...

Solubility

Silver perchlorate is noteworthy for its solubility in aromatic solvents such as

benzene Benzene is an Organic compound, organic chemical compound with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecular formula C6H6. The benzene molecule is composed of six carbon atoms joined in a planar hexagonal Ring (chemistry), ring with one hyd ...

(52.8 g/L) and

toluene Toluene (), also known as toluol (), is a substituted aromatic hydrocarbon with the chemical formula , often abbreviated as , where Ph stands for the phenyl group. It is a colorless, water Water is an inorganic compound with the c ...

(1010 g/L). In these solvents, the silver cation binds to the arene, as has been demonstrated by X-ray crystallographic studies on crystals obtained from such solutions. Its solubility in water is extremely high, up to 500 g per 100 mL water. X-ray diffraction experiments show that aqueous solutions contain g(H₂O)₂sup>+ with Ag-O distances near 240 picometer.

Related reagents

Similar to

, silver perchlorate is an effective reagent for replacing

halide In chemistry, a halide (rarely halogenide) is a binary chemical compound, of which one part is a halogen atom and the other part is an element or radical that is less electronegative (or more electropositive) than the halogen, to make a fl ...

s ligands with perchlorate, which is a weakly or

non-coordinating anion Anions that interact weakly with cations are termed non-coordinating anions, although a more accurate term is weakly coordinating anion. Non-coordinating anions are useful in studying the reactivity of electrophilic cations. They are commonly foun ...

. The use of silver perchlorate in chemical synthesis has declined due to concerns about explosiveness of perchlorate salts. Other silver reagents are

silver tetrafluoroborate Silver tetrafluoroborate is an inorganic compound with the molecular formula AgBF4. It is a white solid, although commercial samples often are gray, that dissolves in polar organic solvents as well as water. Preparation Silver tetrafluoroborate ca ...

, and the related silver trifluoromethanesulfonate and silver hexafluorophosphate.

References

{{Perchlorates Perchlorates Silver compounds Deliquescent materials Oxidizing agents