Zirconium(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 ...
with
formula
In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a ''chemical formula''. The informal use of the term ''formula'' in science refers to the general construct of a relationship betwee ...
ZrCl
3. It is a blue-black solid that is
highly sensitive to air.
Preparation
The material was first claimed by
Ruff and Wallstein who reduced
zirconium tetrachloride
Zirconium(IV) chloride, also known as zirconium tetrachloride, () is an inorganic compound frequently used as a precursor to other compounds of zirconium. This white high-melting solid hydrolyzes rapidly in humid air.
Structure
Unlike molecular T ...
with
aluminium to give impure samples. Subsequently, the problem with aluminium contamination was solved when it was prepared by reduction using zirconium metal:
:Zr + 3 ZrCl
4 → 4 ZrCl
3
When aluminium is used as the reducing agent with zirconium tetrachloride, a series of choloroaluminates are formed, for example
r(AlCl4)2(AlCl4)2and Zr(AlCl
4)
3.
Since the trihalides, such as zirconium trichloride, are comparatively nonvolatile, contamination can be avoided by using a gaseous reductant. For example, zirconium trichloride can be prepared by reduction of zirconium tetrachloride with hydrogen.
:ZrCl
4 + ½ H
2 → ZrCl
3 + HCl
Structure
Some zirconium halides (ZrCl
3,
ZrBr3, and
ZrI3) have structures similar to
HfI3. They also have similar
space group (P6
3/mcm) and hexagonal structure with 2 molecules in the cell.
The
magnetic susceptibility
In electromagnetism, the magnetic susceptibility (Latin: , "receptive"; denoted ) is a measure of how much a material will become magnetized in an applied magnetic field. It is the ratio of magnetization (magnetic moment per unit volume) to the ap ...
of zirconium trichloride suggests metal-metal interactions of the unpaired electron on each Zr(III) center. The magnetic moment of ZrCl
3 (0.4
BM) indicates considerable overlap of metal orbitals.
[Wells, A.F. Structural Inorganic Chemistry. Oxford Science Publications, 1975, 5th ed, 417-420.]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zirconium(Iii) Chloride
Zirconium(III) compounds
Chlorides
Metal halides