Europium(II) chloride is an
inorganic compound
In chemistry, an inorganic compound is typically a chemical compound that lacks carbon–hydrogen bonds, that is, a compound that is not an organic compound. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as '' inorganic chemi ...
with a chemical formula EuCl
2. When it is irradiated by ultraviolet light, it has bright blue fluorescence.
Preparation
Europium dichloride can be produced by reducing
europium trichloride
Europium(III) chloride is an inorganic compound with the formula EuCl3. The anhydrous compound is a yellow solid. Being hygroscopic it rapidly absorbs water to form a white crystalline hexahydrate, EuCl3·6H2O, which is colourless. The compound ...
with
hydrogen gas
Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, a ...
at high temperature:
[Klemm, Wilhelm; Doll, Walter. Measurements on the bivalent and the quadrivalent compounds of the rare earths. VI. The halides of bivalent europium. ''Zeitschrift für Anorganische und Allgemeine Chemie'', 1939. 241: 233–238. .]
: 2 EuCl
3 + H
2 → 2 EuCl
2 + 2 HCl
If dry
europium trichloride
Europium(III) chloride is an inorganic compound with the formula EuCl3. The anhydrous compound is a yellow solid. Being hygroscopic it rapidly absorbs water to form a white crystalline hexahydrate, EuCl3·6H2O, which is colourless. The compound ...
reacts with
lithium borohydride
Lithium borohydride (LiBH4) is a borohydride and known in organic synthesis as a reducing agent for esters. Although less common than the related sodium borohydride, the lithium salt offers some advantages, being a stronger reducing agent and hi ...
in
THF, it can also produce europium dichloride:
: 2 EuCl
3 + 2 LiBH
4 → 2 EuCl
2 + 2 LiCl + H
2↑ + B
2H
6↑
Properties
Europium dichloride can form yellow ammonia complexes:EuCl
2•8NH
3, and can dissolve to pale yellowish EuCl
2•NH
3.
Europium dichloride can react with
europium hydride
Europium hydride is the most common hydride of europium with a chemical formula EuH2. In this compound, europium atom is in the +2 oxidation state and the hydrogen atoms are -1. It is a ferromagnetic semiconductor.
Production
Europium hydride can ...
at 120-bar
H2, producing
EuClH that fluoresces green.
References
{{Lanthanide halides
Europium(II) compounds
Chlorides
Lanthanide halides