Iron(III) bromide
Encyclopedia
Iron bromide is the chemical compound
with the formula
FeBr3. Also known as ferric bromide, this red-brown compound is used as a Lewis acid
catalyst in the halogenation of aromatic compounds. It reacts with water to give acidic solutions.
:
Above 200 °C, FeBr3 decomposes to ferrous bromide
:
Iron(III) chloride
is considerably more stable, reflecting the greater oxidizing power of chlorine
. And, following conventional trends, FeI3 is less stable than the tribromide.
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...
with the formula
Chemical formula
A chemical formula or molecular formula is a way of expressing information about the atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound....
FeBr3. Also known as ferric bromide, this red-brown compound is used as a Lewis acid
Lewis acid
]The term Lewis acid refers to a definition of acid published by Gilbert N. Lewis in 1923, specifically: An acid substance is one which can employ a lone pair from another molecule in completing the stable group of one of its own atoms. Thus, H+ is a Lewis acid, since it can accept a lone pair,...
catalyst in the halogenation of aromatic compounds. It reacts with water to give acidic solutions.
Structure, synthesis and basic properties
FeBr3 forms a polymeric structure featuring six-coordinate, octahedral Fe centers. Although inexpensively available commercially, FeBr3 can be prepared by treatment of iron metal with bromineBromine
Bromine ") is a chemical element with the symbol Br, an atomic number of 35, and an atomic mass of 79.904. It is in the halogen element group. The element was isolated independently by two chemists, Carl Jacob Löwig and Antoine Jerome Balard, in 1825–1826...
:
- 2 Fe + 3 Br2 → 2 FeBr3
Above 200 °C, FeBr3 decomposes to ferrous bromide
Iron(II) bromide
Iron bromide is the chemical compound FeBr2. This brownish-colored solid is a useful synthetic intermediate; for example it is employed to insert Fe into porphyrins.-Structure:...
:
- 2FeBr3 → 2FeBr2 + Br2
Iron(III) chloride
Iron(III) chloride
Iron chloride, also called ferric chloride, is an industrial scale commodity chemical compound, with the formula FeCl3. The colour of iron chloride crystals depends on the viewing angle: by reflected light the crystals appear dark green, but by transmitted light they appear purple-red...
is considerably more stable, reflecting the greater oxidizing power of 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...
. And, following conventional trends, FeI3 is less stable than the tribromide.