Ytterbium(II) iodide is an
iodide
An iodide ion is the ion I−. Compounds with iodine in formal oxidation state −1 are called iodides. In everyday life, iodide is most commonly encountered as a component of iodized salt, which many governments mandate. Worldwide, iodine defic ...
of
ytterbium
Ytterbium is a chemical element with the symbol Yb and atomic number 70. It is a metal, the fourteenth and penultimate element in the lanthanide series, which is the basis of the relative stability of its +2 oxidation state. However, like the othe ...
, with the chemical formula of YbI
2. It is a yellow solid.
Preparation
Ytterbium(II) iodide can be prepared by heating
ytterbium(III) iodide:
:
It can also be prepared by reacting metallic ytterbium with
1,2-diiodoethane
1,2-Diiodoethane is an organoiodine compound.
Preparation and reactions
1,2-Diiodoethane can be prepared by the reaction of ethylene with iodine (I):
:CH + I CHI
1,2-Diiodoethane is most commonly used in organic synthesis in the preparation ...
in
tetrahydrofuran
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 ma ...
:
:
Although the reaction takes place at room temperature, due to the sensitivity of the reagents it is necessary to work anhydrous and under inert gas. Otherwise, if oxygen is present, rapid oxidation to ytterbium(III) takes place. This can be visually recognized by the color change from green to yellow solution.
Properties and uses
Ytterbium(II) iodide is a yellow solid that is very sensitive to air and moisture and is rapidly oxidized to ytterbium(III). It reacts with water to produce hydrogen gas and basic iodides, and reacts violently with acids.
Ytterbium(II) iodide sinters at 0.01 Torr from about 780 °C and gives a viscous melt at about 920 °C. It begins to disproportionate into ytterbium and ytterbium(III) iodide. At around 800 °C, a yellow sublimate of ytterbium(II) iodide is observed on the glass walls; this partly obscures the disproportionation. The melting point can therefore only be determined imprecisely.
['' Gmelins Handbuch der anorganischen Chemie'', System Nr. 39, Band C 6, S. 199–200.]
Like
samarium(II) iodide
Samarium(II) iodide is an inorganic compound with the formula SmI2. When employed as a solution for organic synthesis, it is known as Kagan's reagent. SmI2 is a green solid and solutions are green as well. It is a strong one-electron reducing a ...
(SmI
2), ytterbium(II) iodide is a reagent used in organic chemical reactions.
References
Further reading
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{{Lanthanide halides
Ytterbium compounds
Iodides
Lanthanide halides