Lanthanum(III) chloride
Encyclopedia
Lanthanum chloride is the inorganic compound
with the formula
La
Cl3
. It is a common salt but is mainly used in research. It is a white solid that is highly soluble in water and alcohols.
and ammonium chloride
at 200-250 °C:
From the trichloride, one can produce the other trihalides by exchange. Reduction with potassium gives metallic lanthanum.
material.
In organic synthesis
, lanthanum trichloride functions as a mild Lewis acid
for converting aldehyde
s to acetal
s.
The compound has been identified as a catalyst for the high pressure oxidative chlorination of methane
to chloromethane
with hydrochloric acid
and oxygen.
This compound is also used in Gamma Detectors, is one of the smallest sized (massed) meters of the inorganic compounds used for Gamma Ray Detectors.
Inorganic compound
Inorganic compounds have traditionally been considered to be of inanimate, non-biological origin. In contrast, organic compounds have an explicit biological origin. However, over the past century, the classification of inorganic vs organic compounds has become less important to scientists,...
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....
La
Lanthanum
Lanthanum is a chemical element with the symbol La and atomic number 57.Lanthanum is a silvery white metallic element that belongs to group 3 of the periodic table and is the first element of the lanthanide series. It is found in some rare-earth minerals, usually in combination with cerium and...
Cl3
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...
. It is a common salt but is mainly used in research. It is a white solid that is highly soluble in water and alcohols.
Structure
The La3+ centre is 9-coordinate in the trichloride. The structure is similar to that for uranium trichloride.Preparation and reactions
It forms upon union of the elements, but a more commonly used method involves heating a mixture of lanthanum(III) oxideLanthanum(III) oxide
Lanthanum oxide is La2O3, an inorganic compound containing the rare earth element lanthanum and oxygen. It is used to develop ferroelectric materials, and in optical materials.-Properties:...
and ammonium chloride
Ammonium chloride
Ammonium chloride NH4Cl is an inorganic compound with the formula NH4Cl. It is a white crystalline salt that is highly soluble in water. Solutions of ammonium chloride are mildly acidic. Sal ammoniac is a name of natural, mineralogical form of ammonium chloride...
at 200-250 °C:
- La2O3 + 6 NH4Cl → 2 LaCl3 + 6 NH3 + 2 H2O
From the trichloride, one can produce the other trihalides by exchange. Reduction with potassium gives metallic lanthanum.
Uses
Lanthanum chloride does not enjoy many applications. A possibly application involves the precipitation phosphate from solutions, e.g. in swimming pools to prevent algae growth. It is also used in biochemical research to block the activity of divalent cation channels, mainly calcium channels. Doped with cerium, it is used as a scintillatorScintillator
A scintillator is a special material, which exhibits scintillation—the property of luminescence when excited by ionizing radiation. Luminescent materials, when struck by an incoming particle, absorb its energy and scintillate, i.e., reemit the absorbed energy in the form of light...
material.
In organic synthesis
Organic synthesis
Organic synthesis is a special branch of chemical synthesis and is concerned with the construction of organic compounds via organic reactions. Organic molecules can often contain a higher level of complexity compared to purely inorganic compounds, so the synthesis of organic compounds has...
, lanthanum trichloride functions as a mild 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,...
for converting aldehyde
Aldehyde
An aldehyde is an organic compound containing a formyl group. This functional group, with the structure R-CHO, consists of a carbonyl center bonded to hydrogen and an R group....
s to acetal
Acetal
An acetal is a molecule with two single-bonded oxygen atoms attached to the same carbon atom.Traditional usages distinguish ketals from acetals...
s.
The compound has been identified as a catalyst for the high pressure oxidative chlorination of methane
Methane
Methane is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest alkane, the principal component of natural gas, and probably the most abundant organic compound on earth. The relative abundance of methane makes it an attractive fuel...
to chloromethane
Chloromethane
Chloromethane, also called methyl chloride, R-40 or HCC 40, is a chemical compound of the group of organic compounds called haloalkanes. It was once widely used as a refrigerant. It is a colorless extremely flammable gas with a minorly sweet odor, which is, however, detected at possibly toxic levels...
with hydrochloric acid
Hydrochloric acid
Hydrochloric acid is a solution of hydrogen chloride in water, that is a highly corrosive, strong mineral acid with many industrial uses. It is found naturally in gastric acid....
and oxygen.
This compound is also used in Gamma Detectors, is one of the smallest sized (massed) meters of the inorganic compounds used for Gamma Ray Detectors.