Holmium(III)_chloride

Holmium(III) chloride

Holmium(III) chloride

Chemical compound

Holmium(III) chloride is the inorganic compound with the formula HoCl3. It is a common salt but is mainly used in research. It can be used to produce pure holmium.[2] It exhibits the same color-changing behavior seen in holmium oxide, being a yellow in natural lighting and a bright pink color in fluorescent lighting.

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Preparation

The most commonly used method to obtain holmium(III) chloride involves heating a mixture of holmium(III) oxide and ammonium chloride at 200-250 °C:[3]

Ho2O3 + 6 NH4Cl → 2 HoCl3 + 6 NH3 + 2 H2O

The hexahydrate of holmium(III) chloride can be obtained by reaction between holmium and hydrochloric acid:[3]

2 Ho + 6 HCl → 2 HoCl3 + 3 H2

It can also be prepared by the direct reaction between holmium and chlorine:[4]

2 Ho + 3 Cl2 → 2 HoCl3

Properties

Holmium(III) chloride and its hexahydrate are light yellow solids in daylight that are soluble in water. The hexahydrate starts to release water of crystallization at 64 °C.[5] Holmium(III) chloride has a monoclinic crystal structure analogous to that of aluminum(III) chloride.[3] In the solid state it has the YCl3 layer structure.[6]

References

  1. [1]
    Lide, David R., ed. (2006). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (87th ed.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. ISBN 0-8493-0487-3.
  2. [2]
    Emsley, John (2003). Nature's building blocks: an A-Z guide to the elements (Reprinted with corrections ed.). Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0-19-850340-8.
  3. [3]
    Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry, 2nd Ed. Edited by G. Brauer, Academic Press, 1963, NY.
  4. [4]
    Webelements: Holmium
  5. [5]
    Ans, Jan d'; Ans, Jan d' (1998). Elemente, anorganische Verbindungen und Materialien. Taschenbuch für Chemiker und Physiker / D'Ans (4., neubearb. u. rev. Aufl ed.). Ort nicht ermittelbar: Verlag nicht ermittelbar. ISBN 978-3-540-60035-0.
  6. [6]
    Wells A.F. (1984) Structural Inorganic Chemistry 5th edition Oxford. ISBN 0-19-855370-6
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