Yttrium(III) chloride is an

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 ...

yttrium Yttrium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Y and atomic number 39. It is a silvery-metallic transition metal chemically similar to the lanthanides and has often been classified as a "rare-earth element". Yttrium is almost a ...

and

chloride The term chloride refers to a compound or molecule that contains either a chlorine anion (), which is a negatively charged chlorine atom, or a non-charged chlorine atom covalently bonded to the rest of the molecule by a single bond (). The pr ...

. It exists in two forms, the hydrate (YCl₃(H₂O)₆) and an anhydrous form (YCl₃). Both are colourless salts that are highly

soluble In chemistry, solubility is the ability of a substance, the solute, to form a solution with another substance, the solvent. Insolubility is the opposite property, the inability of the solute to form such a solution. The extent of the solubi ...

in water and

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 ...

Structure

Solid YCl₃ adopts a cubic structure with close-packed chloride ions and yttrium ions filling one third of the octahedral holes and the resulting YCl₆ octahedra sharing three edges with adjacent octahedra, giving it a layered structure. This structure is shared by a range of compounds, notably AlCl₃.

Preparation and reactions

YCl₃ is often prepared by the "

ammonium chloride Ammonium chloride is an inorganic chemical compound with the chemical formula , also written as . It is an ammonium salt of hydrogen chloride. It consists of ammonium cations and chloride anions . It is a white crystalline salt (chemistry), sal ...

route," starting from either Y₂O₃ or hydrated chloride or oxychloride. or YCl₃·6H₂O. These methods produce (NH₄)₂ Cl₅ :10 NH₄Cl + Y₂O₃ → 2 (NH₄)₂ Cl₅ + 6 NH₃ + 3 H₂O :YCl₃·6H₂O + ''2'' NH₄Cl → (NH₄)₂ Cl₅+ 6 H₂O The pentachloride decomposes thermally according to the following equation: : (NH₄)₂ Cl₅ → 2 NH₄Cl + YCl₃ The thermolysis reaction proceeds via the intermediacy of (NH₄) ₂Cl₇ Treating Y₂O₃ with aqueous

HCl HCL may refer to: Science and medicine * Hairy cell leukemia, an uncommon and slowly progressing B cell leukemia * Harvard Cyclotron Laboratory, from 1961 to 2002, a proton accelerator used for research and development * Hollow-cathode lamp, a s ...

produces the hydrated chloride (YCl₃·6H₂O). When heated, this salt yields yttrium

oxychloride In chemistry, oxohalides or oxyhalides are a group of chemical compounds with the chemical formula , where X is a halogen, and A is an element different than O and X. Known oxohalides have fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br), and/or iodine ( ...

rather than reverting to the anhydrous form.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yttrium(Iii) Chloride Yttrium compounds Chlorides Metal halides Deliquescent materials