Cobalt(II) iodide or cobaltous iodide are the
inorganic compound
An inorganic compound is typically a chemical compound that lacks carbon–hydrogen bondsthat is, a compound that is not an organic compound. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as ''inorganic chemistry''.
Inorgan ...
s with the
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 betwe ...
Co I2 and the
hexahydrate CoI
2(H
2O)
6. These salts are the principal iodides of cobalt.
[
]
Synthesis
Cobalt(II) iodide is prepared by treating cobalt powder with gaseous hydrogen iodide
Hydrogen iodide (HI) is a diatomic molecule and hydrogen halide. Aqueous solutions of HI are known as hydroiodic acid or hydriodic acid, a strong acid. Hydrogen iodide and hydroiodic acid are, however, different in that the former is a gas und ...
.[ The hydrated form CoI2.6H2O can be prepared by the reaction of ]cobalt(II) oxide
Cobalt(II) oxide is an inorganic compound that has been described as an olive-green or gray solid. It is used extensively in the ceramics industry as an additive to create blue-colored glazes and enamels, as well as in the chemical industry f ...
(or related cobalt compounds) with hydroiodic acid.
Cobalt(II) iodide crystallizes in two polymorphs, the α- and β-forms. The α-polymorph consists of black hexagonal crystals, which turn dark green when exposed to air. Under a vacuum at 500 °C, samples of α-CoI2 sublime, yielding the β-polymorph as a yellow crystals. β-CoI2 also readily absorbs moisture from the air, converting into green hydrate. At 400 °C, β-CoI2 reverts to the α-form.[O. Glemser "Cobalt, Nickel" in Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry, 2nd Ed. Edited by G. Brauer, Academic Press, 1963, NY. Vol. 1. p. 1518.]
Structures
The anhydrous salts adopt the cadmium halide structures.
The hexaaquo salt consists of separated o(H2O)6sup>2+ and iodide ions as verified crystallographically.[“Structure Cristalline et Expansion Thermique de L’Iodure de Nickel Hexahydrate“ (Crystal structure and thermal expansion of nickel(II) iodide hexahydrate) Louër, Michele; Grandjean, Daniel; Weigel, Dominique Journal of Solid State Chemistry (1973), 7(2), 222-8. ]["The crystal structure of the crystalline hydrates of transition metal salts. The structure of CoI2·6H2O" Shchukarev, S. A.; Stroganov, E. V.; Andreev, S. N.; Purvinskii, O. F. Zhurnal Strukturnoi Khimii 1963, vol. 4, pp. 63-6.]
Reactions and applications
Anhydrous cobalt(II) iodide is sometimes used to test for the presence of water in various solvents.[
]
Cobalt(II) iodide is used as a catalyst, e.g. in carbonylation
In chemistry, carbonylation refers to reactions that introduce carbon monoxide (CO) into organic and inorganic substrates. Carbon monoxide is abundantly available and conveniently reactive, so it is widely used as a reactant in industrial chemis ...
s. It catalyzes the reaction of diketene with Grignard reagents, useful for the synthesis of terpenoids[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cobalt(Ii) Iodide
Cobalt(II) compounds
Iodides
Metal halides