Rhodium(III) bromide refers to

inorganic compound An inorganic compound is typically a chemical compound that lacks carbon–hydrogen bonds⁠that is, a compound that is not an organic compound. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as ''inorganic chemistry''. Inorgan ...

s of the formula RhBr₃(H₂O)_''n'' where ''n'' = 0 or approximately three. Both forms are brown solids. The hydrate is soluble in water and lower alcohols. It is used to prepare rhodium bromide complexes. Rhodium bromides are similar to the chlorides, but have attracted little academic or commercial attention.

Structure

Rhodium(III) bromide adopts the

aluminium chloride Aluminium chloride, also known as aluminium trichloride, is an inorganic compound with the formula . It forms a hexahydrate with the formula , containing six water molecules of hydration. Both the anhydrous form and the hexahydrate are col ...

crystal structure In crystallography, crystal structure is a description of ordered arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules in a crystalline material. Ordered structures occur from intrinsic nature of constituent particles to form symmetric patterns that repeat ...

Reactions

Rhodium(III) bromide is a starting material for the synthesis of other rhodium halides. For example, it reacts with

bromine trifluoride Bromine trifluoride is an interhalogen compound with the formula BrF3. At room temperature, it is a straw-coloured liquid with a pungent odor which decomposes violently on contact with water and organic compounds. It is a powerful fluorinating a ...

to form

rhodium(IV) fluoride Rhodium(IV) fluoride is a chemical compound of rhodium and fluorine. It is formed when rhodium(III) bromide reacts with bromine trifluoride. Iridium(IV) fluoride, palladium(IV) fluoride and platinum(IV) fluoride have the same crystal structure ...

and with aqueous

potassium iodide Potassium iodide is a chemical compound, medication, and dietary supplement. It is a medication used for treating hyperthyroidism, in radiation emergencies, and for protecting the thyroid gland when certain types of radiopharmaceuticals are u ...

to form rhodium(III) iodide. Like most other rhodium trihalides, anhydrous RhBr₃ is insoluble in water. The

dihydrate In chemistry, a hydrate is a substance that contains water or its constituent elements. The chemical state of the water varies widely between different classes of hydrates, some of which were so labeled before their chemical structure was understo ...

RhBr₃·2H₂O forms when rhodium metal reacts with hydrochloric acid and bromine.

References

{{bromides Rhodium(III) compounds Bromides Platinum group halides