Aluminium monochloride
Encyclopedia
Aluminium monochloride is the metal
halide
with the formula AlCl. This compound is produced as a step in the Alcan
process to smelt aluminium
from an aluminium-rich alloy
. When the alloy is placed in a reactor that is heated to 1,300°C and mixed with aluminium trichloride
, a gas of aluminium monochloride is produced.
It then disproportionates
into aluminium melt and aluminium trichloride upon cooling to 900°C.
This molecule has been detected in the interstellar medium
, where molecules are so dilute that intermolecular collisions are unimportant.
Metal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
halide
Halide
A halide is a binary compound, of which one part is a halogen atom and the other part is an element or radical that is less electronegative than the halogen, to make a fluoride, chloride, bromide, iodide, or astatide compound. Many salts are halides...
with the formula AlCl. This compound is produced as a step in the Alcan
Alcan
Rio Tinto Alcan Inc. is a Canadian company based in Montreal. It was created on November 15, 2007 as the result of the merger between Rio Tinto PLC's Canadian subsidiary, Rio Tinto Canada Holding Inc., and Canadian company Alcan Inc. On the same date, Alcan Inc. was renamed Rio Tinto Alcan Inc..Rio...
process to smelt 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....
from an aluminium-rich alloy
Alloy
An alloy is a mixture or metallic solid solution composed of two or more elements. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may or may not be homogeneous in distribution, depending on thermal history...
. When the alloy is placed in a reactor that is heated to 1,300°C and mixed with aluminium trichloride
Aluminium chloride
Aluminium chloride is the main compound of aluminium and chlorine. It is white, but samples are often contaminated with iron trichloride, giving it a yellow colour. The solid has a low melting and boiling point. It is mainly produced and consumed in the production of aluminium metal, but large...
, a gas of aluminium monochloride is produced.
- 2[Al]{alloy} + AlCl3{gas} -> 3AlCl{gas}
It then disproportionates
Disproportionation
Disproportionation, also known as dismutation is used to describe a specific type of redox reaction in which a species is simultaneously reduced and oxidized so as to form two different products....
into aluminium melt and aluminium trichloride upon cooling to 900°C.
This molecule has been detected in the interstellar medium
Interstellar medium
In astronomy, the interstellar medium is the matter that exists in the space between the star systems in a galaxy. This matter includes gas in ionic, atomic, and molecular form, dust, and cosmic rays. It fills interstellar space and blends smoothly into the surrounding intergalactic space...
, where molecules are so dilute that intermolecular collisions are unimportant.