Terbium(III) chloride ( Tb Cl₃) is a

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 ...

. In the solid state TbCl₃ has the YCl₃ layer structure. Terbium(III) chloride frequently forms a hexahydrate.

Preparation

The hexahydrate of terbium(III) chloride can be obtained by the reaction of

terbium(III) oxide Terbium(III) oxide, also known as terbium sesquioxide, is a sesquioxide of the rare earth metal terbium, having chemical formula . It is a p-type semiconductor, which conducts protons, which is enhanced when doped with calcium. It may be prepared ...

and

hydrochloric acid Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid or spirits of salt, is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride (HCl). It is a colorless solution with a distinctive pungency, pungent smell. It is classified as a acid strength, strong acid. It is ...

: :Tb₂O₃ + 6 HCl → 2 TbCl₃ + 3 H₂O It can also be obtained by direct reaction of the elements: :2 Tb + 3 Cl₂ → 2 TbCl₃

Properties

Terbium(III) chloride is a white,

hygroscopic 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 ...

powder. It crystallizes in an

orthorhombic In crystallography, the orthorhombic crystal system is one of the 7 crystal systems. Orthorhombic Lattice (group), lattices result from stretching a cubic crystal system, cubic lattice along two of its orthogonal pairs by two different factors, res ...

plutonium(III) bromide Plutonium(III) bromide is an inorganic salt of bromine and plutonium with the formula PuBr3. This radioactive green solid has few uses, however its crystal structure is often used as a structural archetype in crystallography. Crystal structure ...

crystal structure with

space group In mathematics, physics and chemistry, a space group is the symmetry group of a repeating pattern in space, usually in three dimensions. The elements of a space group (its symmetry operations) are the rigid transformations of the pattern that ...

Cmcm (No. 63). It can form a complex Tb(gly)₃Cl₃·3H₂O with glycine.

Applications

The hexahydrate plays an important role as an activator of green

phosphor A phosphor is a substance that exhibits the phenomenon of luminescence; it emits light when exposed to some type of radiant energy. The term is used both for fluorescent or phosphorescent substances which glow on exposure to ultraviolet or ...

s in color TV tubes and is also used in specialty lasers and as a

dopant A dopant (also called a doping agent) is a small amount of a substance added to a material to alter its physical properties, such as electrical or optics, optical properties. The amount of dopant is typically very low compared to the material b ...

solid-state device Solid-state electronics are semiconductor electronics: electronic equipment that use semiconductor devices such as transistors, diodes and integrated circuits (ICs). The term is also used as an adjective for devices in which semiconductor elect ...

Hazards

Terbium(III) chloride causes

hyperemia Hyperaemia (also hyperemia) is the increase of blood flow to different tissues in the body. It can have medical implications but is also a regulatory response, allowing change in blood supply to different tissues through vasodilation (widenin ...

of the

iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye * Iris (color), an ambiguous color term *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants * Iris (given name), a feminine given name, and a list of peopl ...

. Conditions/substances to avoid are:

heat In thermodynamics, heat is energy in transfer between a thermodynamic system and its surroundings by such mechanisms as thermal conduction, electromagnetic radiation, and friction, which are microscopic in nature, involving sub-atomic, ato ...

acid An acid is a molecule or ion capable of either donating a proton (i.e. Hydron, hydrogen cation, H+), known as a Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory, Brønsted–Lowry acid, or forming a covalent bond with an electron pair, known as a Lewis ...

s and acid fumes.

References

{{Lanthanide halides Chlorides Lanthanide halides Terbium compounds