Ferric chloride hex hydrate (CAS: 10025-77-1)

Basic Information

Ferric chloride hexahydrate is a kind of orange crystal .

Nomenclature

The descriptor hydrated or anhydrous is used when referring to iron(III) chloride, to distinguish between

the two common forms. The hexahydrate is usually given as the simplified empirical formula FeCl3⋅6H2O.

It may also be given as trans-[Fe(H2O)4Cl2]Cl⋅2H2O and the systematic name tetraaquadichloroiron(III)

chloride dihydrate, which more clearly represents its structure.

Reactions

A brown, acidic solution of iron(III) chloride

Iron(III) chloride undergoes hydrolysis to give an acidic solution. When heated with iron(III) oxide at 350 °C,

iron(III) chloride gives iron oxychloride, a layered solid and intercalation host.[citation needed]

FeCl3 + Fe2O3 → 3 FeOCl

It is a moderately strong Lewis acid, forming adducts with Lewis bases such as triphenylphosphine oxide, e.g.

FeCl3(OPPh3)2 where Ph = phenyl. It also reacts with other chloride salts to give the yellow tetrahedral FeCl4− ion.

Salts of FeCl4− in hydrochloric acid can be extracted into diethyl ether.

Alkali metal alkoxides react to give the metal alkoxide complexes of varying complexity. The compounds can be

dimeric or trimeric.[10] In the solid phase a variety of multinuclear complexes have been described for the nominal

stoichiometric reaction between FeCl3 and sodium ethoxide:

FeCl3 + 3 [C2H5O]−Na+ → Fe(OC2H5)3 + 3 NaCl

Oxalates react rapidly with aqueous iron(III) chloride to give [Fe(C2O4)3]3−. Other carboxylate salts form

complexes, e.g. citrate and tartrate.