Berkelium(III) chloride also known as berkelium trichloride, is a chemical compound with the formula BkCl₃. It is a water-soluble green salt with a melting point of 603 °C. This compound forms the hexahydrate, BkCl₃·6H₂O.

Preparation and reactions

This compound was first prepared in 1970 by reacting

hydrogen chloride The compound hydrogen chloride has the chemical formula and as such is a hydrogen halide. At room temperature, it is a colourless gas, which forms white fumes of hydrochloric acid upon contact with atmospheric water vapor. Hydrogen chloride ga ...

gas and

berkelium(IV) oxide Berkelium(IV) oxide, also known as berkelium dioxide, is a chemical compound with the formula BkO2. This compound slowly decays to californium(IV) oxide. It can be converted to berkelium(III) oxide by hydrogen reduction at 600 °C. :2BkO2 + H2 → ...

berkelium(III) oxide Berkelium(III) oxide is a binary inorganic compound of berkelium and oxygen with the chemical formula . Synthesis Berkelium(III) oxide can be prepared from berkelium(IV) oxide by reduction with hydrogen Hydrogen is the chemical element with t ...

at 520 °C: :Bk₂O₃ + 6HCl → 2BkCl₃ + 3H₂O Berkelium(III) chloride reacts with beryllocene to produce berkelocene(Bk(C₅H₅)₃). It also reacts with

oxalic acid Oxalic acid is an organic acid with the systematic name ethanedioic acid and formula . It is the simplest dicarboxylic acid. It is a white crystalline solid that forms a colorless solution in water. Its name comes from the fact that early inve ...

to produce berkelium oxalate. This reaction is used to purify this compound, by reacting the oxalate with

hydrochloric acid Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid, is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride. It is a colorless solution with a distinctive pungent smell. It is classified as a strong acid Acid strength is the tendency of an acid, symbol ...

Structure

Anhydrous berkelium(III) chloride has a hexagonal crystal structure, is isostructural to

uranium trichloride Uranium(III) chloride, UCl3, is a water soluble salt of uranium. UCl3 is used mostly to reprocess spent nuclear fuel. Uranium(III) chloride is synthesized in various ways from uranium(IV) chloride; however, UCl3 is less stable than UCl4. Prepar ...

, and has the person symbol hP6. When heated it its melting point, it converts to an orthorhombic phase. However, the hexahydrate has a monoclinic crystal structure and is isostructural to americium trichloride hexahydrate with the lattice constants a = 966 pm, b = 654 pm and c = 797 pm. This hexahydrate consists of BkCl₂(OH₂)₆⁺ ions and Cl⁻ ions.

Complexes

Caesium sodium berkelium chloride is known with the formula Cs₂NaBkCl₆ and is produced by the reaction of berkelium(III) hydroxide, hydrochloric acid, and

caesium chloride Caesium chloride or cesium chloride is the inorganic compound with the formula Cs Cl. This colorless salt is an important source of caesium ions in a variety of niche applications. Its crystal structure forms a major structural type where each ...

.Peterson J. R. and Hobart D. E
"The Chemistry of Berkelium"
in Harry Julius Emeléus (Ed.) ''Advances in inorganic chemistry and radiochemistry'', Volume 28, Academic Press, 1984 , pp. 29–64,

References

{{Actinide halides Berkelium compounds Chlorides Actinide halides