Yttrium(III) chloride 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 ...

yttrium Yttrium is a chemical element with the symbol Y and atomic number 39. It is a silvery-metallic transition metal chemically similar to the lanthanides and has often been classified as a "rare-earth element". Yttrium is almost always found in com ...

and

chloride The chloride ion is the anion (negatively charged ion) Cl−. It is formed when the element chlorine (a halogen) gains an electron or when a compound such as hydrogen chloride is dissolved in water or other polar solvents. Chloride salts ...

. It exists in two forms, the hydrate (YCl₃(H₂O)₆) and an anhydrous form (YCl₃). Both are colourless solids that are highly

soluble In chemistry, solubility is the ability of a substance, the solute, to form a solution with another substance, the solvent. Insolubility is the opposite property, the inability of the solute to form such a solution. The extent of the solubil ...

in water and

deliquescent Hygroscopy is the phenomenon of attracting and holding water molecules via either absorption or adsorption from the surrounding environment, which is usually at normal or room temperature. If water molecules become suspended among the substance ...

Structure

Solid YCl₃ adopts a cubic structure with close-packed chloride ions and yttrium ions filling one third of the octahedral holes and the resulting YCl₆ octahedra sharing three edges with adjacent octahedra, giving it a layered structure. This structure is shared by a range of compounds, notably AlCl₃.

Preparation and reactions

YCl₃ is often prepared by the " ammonium chloride route," starting from either Y₂O₃ or hydrated chloride or oxychloride. or YCl₃·6H₂O. These methods produce (NH₄)₂ Cl₅ :10 NH₄Cl + Y₂O₃ → 2 (NH₄)₂ Cl₅ + 6 NH₃ + 3 H₂O :YCl₃·6H₂O + ''2'' NH₄Cl → (NH₄)₂ Cl₅+ 6 H₂O The pentachloride decomposes thermally according to the following equation: : (NH₄)₂ Cl₅ → 2 NH₄Cl + YCl₃ The thermolysis reaction proceeds via the intermediacy of (NH₄) ₂Cl₇ Treating Y₂O₃ with aqueous

HCl HCL may refer to: Science and medicine * Hairy cell leukemia, an uncommon and slowly progressing B cell leukemia * Harvard Cyclotron Laboratory, from 1961 to 2002, a proton accelerator used for research and development * Hollow-cathode lamp, a spe ...

produces the hydrated chloride (YCl₃·6H₂O). When heated, this salt yields yttrium

oxychloride In chemistry, molecular oxohalides (oxyhalides) are a group of chemical compounds in which both oxygen and halogen atoms are attached to another chemical element A in a single molecule. They have the general formula , where X = fluorine (F), chlor ...

rather than reverting to the anhydrous form.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yttrium(Iii) Chloride Yttrium compounds Chlorides Metal halides Deliquescent substances