Europium(III) chloride
Encyclopedia
Europium chloride is a compound of europium
and chlorine
with the formula EuCl3.
, EuCl3·6H2O. Simple rapid heating of the hydrate
alone may cause small amounts of hydrolysis
. Anhydrous
EuCl3 can be made from the hydrate by heating with an excess of thionyl chloride
for around 15 hours.
Europium(III) chloride is soluble in water
. When anhydrous, it is expected to be also highly soluble in ethanol
(by analogy with SmCl3
). It is nine-coordinate (trigonal prismatic), and it crystallises with the UCl3
structure.
gas while heating slowly to 700 °C. The anhydrous chloride
may also be used to prepare organometallic compounds of europium, such as bis(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)europium(II) complexes. Europium(III) chloride can be used as a starting point for the preparation of other europium
salt
s.
Europium
Europium is a chemical element with the symbol Eu and atomic number 63. It is named after the continent of Europe. It is a moderately hard silvery metal which readily oxidizes in air and water...
and chlorine
Chlorine
Chlorine is the chemical element with atomic number 17 and symbol Cl. It is the second lightest halogen, found in the periodic table in group 17. The element forms diatomic molecules under standard conditions, called dichlorine...
with the formula EuCl3.
Properties
Europium trichloride is a yellow solid which begins to decompose at or below its melting point to give at least some EuCl2. Being hygroscopic it rapidly absorbs water on exposure to moist air to form a white crystalline hexahydrateHydrate
Hydrate is a term used in inorganic chemistry and organic chemistry to indicate that a substance contains water. The chemical state of the water varies widely between hydrates, some of which were so labeled before their chemical structure was understood....
, EuCl3·6H2O. Simple rapid heating of the hydrate
Hydrate
Hydrate is a term used in inorganic chemistry and organic chemistry to indicate that a substance contains water. The chemical state of the water varies widely between hydrates, some of which were so labeled before their chemical structure was understood....
alone may cause small amounts of hydrolysis
Hydrolysis
Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction during which molecules of water are split into hydrogen cations and hydroxide anions in the process of a chemical mechanism. It is the type of reaction that is used to break down certain polymers, especially those made by condensation polymerization...
. Anhydrous
Anhydrous
As a general term, a substance is said to be anhydrous if it contains no water. The way of achieving the anhydrous form differs from one substance to another...
EuCl3 can be made from the hydrate by heating with an excess of thionyl chloride
Thionyl chloride
Thionyl chloride is an inorganic compound with the formula SOCl2. It is a reactive chemical reagent used in chlorination reactions. It is a colorless, distillable liquid at room temperature and pressure that decomposes above 140 °C. Thionyl chloride is sometimes confused with sulfuryl...
for around 15 hours.
Europium(III) chloride is soluble in water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
. When anhydrous, it is expected to be also highly soluble in ethanol
Ethanol
Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...
(by analogy with SmCl3
Samarium(III) chloride
Samarium chloride , also known as samarium trichloride, is a compound of samarium and chlorine. It is a pale yellow solid which rapidly absorbs water on exposure to moist air to form a hexahydrate, SmCl3.6H2O. Simple rapid heating of the hydrate alone may cause small amounts of hydrolysis...
). It is nine-coordinate (trigonal prismatic), and it crystallises with the UCl3
Uranium(III) chloride
Uranium chloride , UCl3, is a chemical compound that contains the earth metal uranium and chlorine. UCl3 is used mostly to reprocess spent nuclear fuel. Uranium chloride is synthesized various ways from uranium chloride; however, UCl3 is less stable than UCl4.-Preparation:There are two ways to...
structure.
Uses
Europium(III) chloride can be used for the preparation of europium(II) chloride by reduction in a gold boat using hydrogenHydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
gas while heating slowly to 700 °C. The anhydrous chloride
Chloride
The chloride ion is formed when the element chlorine, a halogen, picks up one electron to form an anion Cl−. The salts of hydrochloric acid HCl contain chloride ions and can also be called chlorides. The chloride ion, and its salts such as sodium chloride, are very soluble in water...
may also be used to prepare organometallic compounds of europium, such as bis(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)europium(II) complexes. Europium(III) chloride can be used as a starting point for the preparation of other europium
Europium
Europium is a chemical element with the symbol Eu and atomic number 63. It is named after the continent of Europe. It is a moderately hard silvery metal which readily oxidizes in air and water...
salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
s.