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Rhenium trioxide or rhenium(VI) oxide 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 ...
with the formula ReO3. It is a red solid with a metallic lustre that resembles
copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
in appearance. It is the only stable trioxide of the Group 7 elements ( Mn, Tc, Re).


Preparation and structure

Rhenium trioxide can be formed by reducing
rhenium(VII) oxide Rhenium(VII) oxide is the inorganic compound with the formula Re2 O7. This yellowish solid is the anhydride of HOReO3. Perrhenic acid, Re2O7·2H2O, is closely related to Re2O7. Re2O7 is the raw material for all rhenium compounds, being the volat ...
with
carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a colorless, poisonous, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the simple ...
at 200 Â°C or elemental
rhenium Rhenium is a chemical element with the symbol Re and atomic number 75. It is a silvery-gray, heavy, third-row transition metal in group 7 of the periodic table. With an estimated average concentration of 1 part per billion (ppb), rhenium is one ...
at 400 Â°C. :Re2O7 + CO → 2 ReO3 + CO2 :3 Re2O7 + Re → 7 ReO3 Re2O7 can also be reduced with
dioxane 1,4-Dioxane () is a heterocyclic organic compound, classified as an ether. It is a colorless liquid with a faint sweet odor similar to that of diethyl ether. The compound is often called simply dioxane because the other dioxane isomers ( 1,2- ...
. Rhenium trioxide crystallizes with a primitive cubic
unit cell In geometry, biology, mineralogy and solid state physics, a unit cell is a repeating unit formed by the vectors spanning the points of a lattice. Despite its suggestive name, the unit cell (unlike a unit vector, for example) does not necessaril ...
, with a
lattice parameter A lattice constant or lattice parameter is one of the physical dimensions and angles that determine the geometry of the unit cells in a crystal lattice, and is proportional to the distance between atoms in the crystal. A simple cubic crystal has o ...
of 3.742 Ã… (374.2 pm). The structure of ReO3 is similar to that of
perovskite Perovskite (pronunciation: ) is a calcium titanium oxide mineral composed of calcium titanate (chemical formula ). Its name is also applied to the class of compounds which have the same type of crystal structure as (XIIA2+VIB4+X2−3), known as ...
(ABO3), without the large A cation at the centre of the unit cell. Each rhenium center is surrounded by an
octahedron In geometry, an octahedron (plural: octahedra, octahedrons) is a polyhedron with eight faces. The term is most commonly used to refer to the regular octahedron, a Platonic solid composed of eight equilateral triangles, four of which meet at ea ...
defined by six oxygen centers. These octahedra share corners to form the 3-dimensional structure. The coordination number of O is 2, because each oxygen atom has 2 neighbouring Re atoms., p. 1047.


Properties


Physical properties

ReO3 is unusual for an oxide because it exhibits very low
resistivity Electrical resistivity (also called specific electrical resistance or volume resistivity) is a fundamental property of a material that measures how strongly it resists electric current. A low resistivity indicates a material that readily allows ...
. It behaves like a
metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...
in that its resistivity decreases as its temperature decreases. At 300 K, its resistivity is 100.0 nΩ·m, whereas at 100 K, this decreases to 6.0 nΩ·m, 17 times less than at 300 K.


Chemical properties

Rhenium trioxide is insoluble in water, as well as dilute acids and bases. Heating it in base results in
disproportionation In chemistry, disproportionation, sometimes called dismutation, is a redox reaction in which one compound of intermediate oxidation state converts to two compounds, one of higher and one of lower oxidation states. More generally, the term can b ...
to give and , while reaction with acid at high temperature affords . In concentrated nitric acid, it yields
perrhenic acid Perrhenic acid is the chemical compound with the formula . It is obtained by evaporating aqueous solutions of . Conventionally, perrhenic acid is considered to have the formula , and a species of this formula forms when rhenium(VII) oxide sublime ...
. Upon heating to 400 °C under vacuum, it undergoes
disproportionation In chemistry, disproportionation, sometimes called dismutation, is a redox reaction in which one compound of intermediate oxidation state converts to two compounds, one of higher and one of lower oxidation states. More generally, the term can b ...
:G. Glemser "Rhenium (VI) Oxide" Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry, 2nd Ed. Edited by G. Brauer, Academic Press, 1963, NY. Vol. 2. p. 1482. : 3 ReO3 → Re2O7 + ReO2


Uses


Hydrogenation catalyst

Rhenium trioxide finds some use in
organic synthesis Organic synthesis is a special branch of chemical synthesis and is concerned with the intentional construction of organic compounds. Organic molecules are often more complex than inorganic compounds, and their synthesis has developed into one o ...
as a
catalyst Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...
for
amide reduction Amide reduction is a reaction in organic synthesis where an amide is reduced to either an amine or an aldehyde functional group. Catalytic hydrogenation Catalytic hydrogenation can be used to reduce amides to amines; however, the process often req ...
.


References

{{Oxides Rhenium compounds Hydrogenation catalysts Transition metal oxides