Osmium(II) chloride or osmium dichloride is an

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

composed of

osmium Osmium (from Greek grc, ὀσμή, osme, smell, label=none) is a chemical element with the symbol Os and atomic number 76. It is a hard, brittle, bluish-white transition metal in the platinum group that is found as a trace element in alloys, mos ...

metal and chlorine with the chemical formula .

Synthesis

Osmium(II) chloride can be prepared by disproportionation of

osmium(III) chloride Osmium(III) chloride is an inorganic chemical compound of osmium metal and chlorine with the chemical formula . Synthesis Osmium(III) chloride can be made by a reaction of chlorine with osmium: : It can also be made by heating of osmium(IV) chlor ...

at 500 °C in vacuum. ::

Physical properties

Osmium(II) chloride is a hygroscopic dark brown solid that is insoluble in water. It is soluble in ethanol and ether.

Chemical properties

Osmium(II) chloride does not react with hydrochloric acid and

sulfuric acid Sulfuric acid (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphuric acid ( Commonwealth spelling), known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen and hydrogen, with the molecular formu ...

. It reacts with CO at 220 °C: ::

Uses

Osmium(II) chloride can be used for the catalytic production of trialkylamines.

References

{{Chlorides Osmium compounds Chlorides Platinum group halides