Uranium pentachloride
Uranium pentachloride is an inorganic chemical compound composed of uranium in the +5 oxidation state and five chlorine atoms.
| Names | |
|---|---|
| IUPAC name
Uranium(V) chloride | |
| Other names
Uranium pentachloride Uranic chloride | |
| Identifiers | |
| Properties | |
| UCl5 | |
| Molar mass | 415.29 g/mol |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). | |
| Infobox references | |
Preparation
Uranium pentachloride can be prepared from the reaction of uranium trioxide with carbon tetrachloride, with a previously prepared amount of the compound serving as a catalyst.[1]
- 4 UO3 + 10 CCl4 → 4 UCl5 + 10 COCl2 + O2
It can also be prepared from the reaction between uranium tetrachloride and chlorine in a fluidized bed reactor at 550 °C.[1]
Properties
Uranium pentachloride is available as red-brown microcrystalline powders or black-red crystals with metallic sheen. It is very hygroscopic and decomposes into uranium hexachloride and uranium tetrachloride when in water or heated. There are two crystalline forms, each of which has the uranium atom in an octahedral geometry among six chlorine atoms. Usually, it is in the α-form, which has a monoclinic crystal structure with space group P21/n. The β-form is triclinic with space group P1.[2]
References
- Brauer, Georg (1975). Handbuch der präparativen anorganischen Chemie, vol. 1 (3rd ed.). Stuttgart: Enke. p. 1208. ISBN 3-432-02328-6. OCLC 310719485.
- Lester R. Morss; Norman M. Edelstein; J. Fuger (eds.). The Chemistry of the Actinide and Transactinide Elements. pp. 522–523.
- Su, J; Dau, P. D.; Xu, C. F.; Huang, D. L.; Liu, H. T.; Wei, F; Wang, L. S.; Li, J (2013). "A joint photoelectron spectroscopy and theoretical study on the electronic structure of UCl5- and UCl5". Chemistry: An Asian Journal. 8 (10): 2489–96. doi:10.1002/asia.201300627. PMID 23853153.