Lanthanum chloride is the inorganic compound with the formula La Cl₃. It is a common salt of lanthanum which is mainly used in research. It is a white solid that is highly soluble in water and alcohols.

Preparation

Anhydrous lanthanum(III) chloride can be produced by the ammonium chloride route. In the first step, lanthanum oxide is heated with ammonium chloride to produce the ammonium salt of the pentachloride: :La₂O₃ + 10NH₄Cl → 2(NH₄)₂LaCl₅ + 6H₂O + 6NH₃ In the second step, the ammonium chloride salt is converted to the trichlorides by heating in a vacuum at 350-400 ºC: :(NH₄)₂LaCl₅ → LaCl₃ + 2HCl + 2NH₃

Uses

Lanthanum chloride is also used in biochemical research to block the activity of divalent

cation channel Ion channels are pore-forming membrane proteins that allow ions to pass through the channel pore. Their functions include establishing a resting membrane potential, shaping action potentials and other electrical signals by gating the flow of io ...

s, mainly calcium channels. Doped with cerium, it is used as a scintillator material. In organic synthesis, lanthanum trichloride functions as a mild Lewis acid for converting

aldehyde In organic chemistry, an aldehyde () is an organic compound containing a functional group with the structure . The functional group itself (without the "R" side chain) can be referred to as an aldehyde but can also be classified as a formyl grou ...

s to

acetal In organic chemistry, an acetal is a functional group with the connectivity . Here, the R groups can be organic fragments (a carbon atom, with arbitrary other atoms attached to that) or hydrogen, while the R' groups must be organic fragments n ...

s. The compound has been identified 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 the high pressure oxidative chlorination of

methane Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane on Ea ...

chloromethane Chloromethane, also called methyl chloride, Refrigerant-40, R-40 or HCC 40, is an organic compound with the chemical formula . One of the haloalkanes, it is a colorless, odorless, flammable gas. Methyl chloride is a crucial reagent in industrial ...

with

hydrochloric acid Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid, is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride. It is a colorless solution with a distinctive pungent smell. It is classified as a strong acid Acid strength is the tendency of an acid, symbol ...

and

oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as ...

. Also used in the field of geology as a very dilite solution, which when combined with the proper acids can help identify small >1% Strontium content in powdered rock samples.

References

Chlorides Lanthanum compounds Lanthanide halides {{inorganic-compound-stub