Aluminium iodide
Encyclopedia
Aluminium iodide is any chemical compound
containing only aluminium
and iodine
. Invariably, the name refers to a compound of the composition AlI3, formed by the reaction of aluminium and iodine or the action of HI
on Al metal. The hexahydrate is obtained from a reaction between metallic aluminum or aluminum hydroxide with hydrogen iodide
or hydroiodic acid. As for the related chloride and bromide, AlI3 is a strong Lewis acid and should be protected from the atmosphere.
s and deoxygenates epoxide
s.
An illustrative derivative of aluminium monoiodide is the cyclic adduct
formed with triethylamine
, AI4I4(NEt3)4.
Chemical compound
A chemical compound is a pure chemical substance consisting of two or more different chemical elements that can be separated into simpler substances by chemical reactions. Chemical compounds have a unique and defined chemical structure; they consist of a fixed ratio of atoms that are held together...
containing only aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
and iodine
Iodine
Iodine is a chemical element with the symbol I and atomic number 53. The name is pronounced , , or . The name is from the , meaning violet or purple, due to the color of elemental iodine vapor....
. Invariably, the name refers to a compound of the composition AlI3, formed by the reaction of aluminium and iodine or the action of HI
Hydrogen iodide
Hydrogen iodide is a diatomic molecule. Aqueous solutions of HI are known as iohydroic acid or hydroiodic acid, a strong acid. Gas and aqueous solution are interconvertible...
on Al metal. The hexahydrate is obtained from a reaction between metallic aluminum or aluminum hydroxide with hydrogen iodide
Hydrogen iodide
Hydrogen iodide is a diatomic molecule. Aqueous solutions of HI are known as iohydroic acid or hydroiodic acid, a strong acid. Gas and aqueous solution are interconvertible...
or hydroiodic acid. As for the related chloride and bromide, AlI3 is a strong Lewis acid and should be protected from the atmosphere.
Applications in organic synthesis
Aluminium iodide is employed as a catalyst to break certain kinds of C-O and N-O bonds. It cleaves aryl etherEther
Ethers are a class of organic compounds that contain an ether group — an oxygen atom connected to two alkyl or aryl groups — of general formula R–O–R'. A typical example is the solvent and anesthetic diethyl ether, commonly referred to simply as "ether"...
s and deoxygenates epoxide
Epoxide
An epoxide is a cyclic ether with three ring atoms. This ring approximately defines an equilateral triangle, which makes it highly strained. The strained ring makes epoxides more reactive than other ethers. Simple epoxides are named from the parent compound ethylene oxide or oxirane, such as in...
s.
Aluminium(I) iodide
The name "aluminium iodide" is widely assumed to describe the triiodide or its dimer. In fact, a monoiodide also enjoys a role in the Al-I system, although composition AlI is unstable at room temperature with respect to the triiodide- 3 AlI → AlI3 + 2 Al
An illustrative derivative of aluminium monoiodide is the cyclic adduct
Adduct
An adduct is a product of a direct addition of two or more distinct molecules, resulting in a single reaction product containing all atoms of all components. The resultant is considered a distinct molecular species...
formed with triethylamine
Triethylamine
Triethylamine is the chemical compound with the formula N3, commonly abbreviated Et3N. It is also abbreviated TEA, yet this abbreviation must be used carefully to avoid confusion with triethanolamine, for which TEA is also a common abbreviation....
, AI4I4(NEt3)4.