Neodymium(II) chloride or neodymium dichloride is a chemical compound of

neodymium Neodymium is a chemical element with the symbol Nd and atomic number 60. It is the fourth member of the lanthanide series and is considered to be one of the rare-earth metals. It is a hard, slightly malleable, silvery metal that quickly tarnishes i ...

and

chlorine Chlorine is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate betwee ...

with the formula NdCl₂.

Preparation

Neodymium(II) chloride can be prepared by reducing

neodymium(III) chloride Neodymium(III) chloride or neodymium trichloride is a chemical compound of neodymium and chlorine with the formula NdCl3. This anhydrous compound is a mauve-colored solid that rapidly absorbs water on exposure to air to form a purple-colored he ...

with lithium metal/naphthalene or

lithium chloride Lithium chloride is a chemical compound with the formula Li Cl. The salt is a typical ionic compound (with certain covalent characteristics), although the small size of the Li+ ion gives rise to properties not seen for other alkali metal chlor ...

THF Tetrahydrofuran (THF), or oxolane, is an organic compound with the formula (CH2)4O. The compound is classified as heterocyclic compound, specifically a cyclic ether. It is a colorless, water- miscible organic liquid with low viscosity. It is ...

. Reduction of neodymium(III) chloride with neodymium metal at temperatures above 650 °C also yields neodymium(II) chloride: :2 NdCl₃ + Nd → 3 NdCl₂

Structure

Neodymium(II) chloride adopts the PbCl₂ (

cotunnite Cotunnite is the natural mineral form of lead(II) chloride with formula PbCl2. It was first described in 1825 from an occurrence on Mount Vesuvius, Naples Province, Campania, Italy. It was named for Domenico Cotugno (Cotunnius) (1736–1822), Ita ...

) structure. Each Nd²⁺ ion is coordinated by nine Cl⁻ ions in a

tricapped trigonal prismatic In chemistry, the tricapped trigonal prismatic molecular geometry describes the shape of compounds where nine atoms, groups of atoms, or ligands are arranged around a central atom, defining the vertices of a triaugmented triangular prism (a trigo ...

arrangement. Seven of the Nd-Cl distances are in the range 2.95-3.14 Å while two are longer at 3.45 Å.

References

Chlorides Neodymium compounds Lanthanide halides {{inorganic-compound-stub