7705-08-0 Usage
Description
Ferric chloride, also known as iron(III) chloride, is an orange to brown-black solid that is slightly soluble in water. It is noncombustible and becomes corrosive to aluminum and most metals when wet. Ferric chloride is commonly used in various industries for different applications due to its unique properties.
Uses
1. Used in Water Treatment and Sewage Industry:
Ferric chloride is used as a purifying agent in water supply and as a coagulant in municipal and industrial wastewater treatment. Its rapid hydrolysis in water makes it an ideal flocculating and precipitating agent, forming ferric hydroxide (Fe[OH]3) flocs that adsorb suspended particles for easy removal.
2. Used in Chemical Manufacturing:
Ferric chloride is used in the production of various iron(III) salts, dyes, pigments, and inks. It also serves as a chlorinating agent, a catalyst in chlorination reactions of aromatics, and an alternative to anhydrous AlCl3 in Friedel-Crafts reactions.
3. Used in Electronics Industry:
As an etching medium, ferric chloride is used in the production of printed circuit boards (PCBs), where it helps in engraving and etching processes.
4. Used in Mining and Mineral Processing:
Ferric chloride has a depressing effect on barite and can be used in barite-celestite separation. It has also been evaluated as a depressant during niobium-zirconium separation.
5. Used in Agriculture:
Ferric chloride serves as a nutrient and dietary supplement, providing a source of iron for agricultural purposes.
6. Used in Environmental Applications:
It is used as a disinfectant, oxidizing, chlorinating, and condensing agent in various environmental applications.
7. Used in Laboratory Settings:
Anhydrous ferric chloride (FeCl3) can be used as an alternative to anhydrous AlCl3 in Friedel-Crafts reactions, acting as a catalyst and promoting the alkylation or acylation of aromatic rings.
8. Used in the Detection of Certain Compounds:
Ferric chloride is useful in the detection of phenols, phenolic derivatives, gamma-hydroxybutyric acids, and in the Trinder spot test for detecting salicylic acids.
Production Methods
Iron(III) chloride forms passing chlorine gas over iron filings at 350°C:
2Fe + 3Cl2 → 2FeCl3
It also forms heating iron(III) oxide with HCl at elevated temperatures:
Fe2O3 + 6HCl → 2FeCl3 + 3H2O
The product may be sublimed in a stream of chlorine to give high purity grade iron(III) chloride.
The anhydrous chloride also may be made by heating the hexahydrate, FeCl3?6H2O, with thionyl chloride:
FeCl3?6H2O + 6SOCl2 → FeCl3 + 12HCl + SO2
Air & Water Reactions
Very hygroscopic. Slightly water soluble, where a 0.1M solution has a pH of 2.0.
Reactivity Profile
Alkali metal hydroxides, acids, anhydrous chlorides of iron, tin, and aluminum, pure oxides of iron and aluminum, and metallic potassium are some of the catalysts that may cause ethylene oxide to rearrange and polymerize, liberating heat, [J. Soc. Chem. Ind. 68:179(1949)]. Explosions occur , although infrequently, from the combination of ethylene oxide and alcohols or mercaptans, [Chem. Eng. News 20:1318(1942)]. Allyl chloride may polymerize violently under conditions involving an acid catalyst, such as sulfuric acid, Ferric chloride, aluminum chloride, Lewis acids, and Ziegler type catalysts (initiators), [Ventrone (1971)].
Hazard
Toxic by ingestion, strong irritant to skin
and tissue.
Health Hazard
Inhalation of dust may irritate nose and throat. Ingestion causes irritation of mouth and stomach. Dust irritates eyes. Prolonged contact with skin causes irritation and burns.
Flammability and Explosibility
Nonflammable
Safety Profile
Poison by ingestion and
intravenous routes. Experimental
reproductive effects. Corrosive. Probably an
eye, skin, and mucous membrane irritant.
Mutation data reported. Reacts with water
to produce toxic and corrosive fumes.
Catalyzes potentially explosive
polymerization of ethylene oxide, chlorine +
monomers (e.g., styrene). Forms shock sensitive explosive mixtures with some
metals (e.g., potassium, sodium). Violent
reaction with all$ chloride. When heated to
decomposition it emits highly toxic fumes of
HCl.
Potential Exposure
Iron chloride is used to treat sewage
and industrial waste. It is also used as an etchant for photo engraving and rotogravure; in textiles; photography; as a
disinfectant; as a feed additive.
Shipping
UN1773 Ferric chloride, anhydrous, Hazard
class: 8; Labels: 8-Corrosive material. UN2582 Ferric chlo ride, solution, Hazard class: 8; Labels: 8-Corrosive
material
Purification Methods
Sublime it at 200o in an atmosphere of chlorine. It is an “iron-black” coloured powder with green irridescence. Store it in a weighing bottle inside a desiccator as it absorbs moisture from air to form the yellow hexahydrate (see next entry). [Tarr Inorg Synth III 191 1950, Pray Inorg Synth V 153 1957, Epperson Inorg Synth VII 163 1963.]
Structure and conformation
The crystalline solid has a semicovalent layer structure with hexagonal packing of
chloride ions, each iron atom being surrounded octahedrally by six chlorines in a BiI3 type
structure. The dimers in the vapour phase have a structure similar to that of Al2Cl6
with the iron atoms surrounded by chlorines in a roughly tetrahedral fashion. The
magnetic properties of iron(III) chloride in its different environments have been investigated
extensively. The magnetic moment at 290°K is 5-73 B.M. and is independent of the
field strength. In aqueous hydrochloric acid the room temperature moment is 5-94 B.M.
and the hexahydrate has a similar moment (5-95 B.M.).
Incompatibilities
Aqueous solutions are a strong acid.
Violent reaction with bases, allyl chloride; sulfuric acid;
water. Shock- and friction-sensitive explosive material
forms with potassium, sodium and other active metals.
Attacks metals when wet.
Waste Disposal
Neutralize with lime or soda
ash and bury in an approved landfill.
Check Digit Verification of cas no
The CAS Registry Mumber 7705-08-0 includes 7 digits separated into 3 groups by hyphens. The first part of the number,starting from the left, has 4 digits, 7,7,0 and 5 respectively; the second part has 2 digits, 0 and 8 respectively.
Calculate Digit Verification of CAS Registry Number 7705-08:
(6*7)+(5*7)+(4*0)+(3*5)+(2*0)+(1*8)=100
100 % 10 = 0
So 7705-08-0 is a valid CAS Registry Number.
InChI:InChI=1/3ClH.Fe/h3*1H;/q;;;+3/p-3
7705-08-0Relevant articles and documents
The electronic structures of an isostructural series of octahedral nitrosyliron complexes {Fe-NO}6,7,8 elucidated by Mossbauer spectroscopy
Hauser, Christina,Glaser, Thorsten,Bill, Eckhard,Weyhermueller, Thomas,Wieghardt, Karl
, p. 4352 - 4365 (2000)
From the reaction of cis-[(cyclam)Fe(III)(Cl)2]Cl (cyclam = 1,4,8,11- tetraazacyclotetradecane) with hydroxylamine in water the octahedral nitrosyliron complexes trans-[(cyclam)Fe(NO)Cl](ClO4) (1) and cis- [(cyclam)Fe(NO)I]I (2) have been isolated as crystalline solids. EPR spectroscopy and variable-temperature susceptibility measurements established that 1 possesses an S = 1/2 and 2 an S = 3/2 ground state; both species are of the {Fe-NO}7 type. Electrochemically, 1 can be reversibly one-electron oxidized yielding trans-[(cyclam)Fe(NO)Cl]2+, an {Fe-NO}6 species, and one-electron reduced yielding trans-[(cyclam)Fe(NO)Cl]0, an {Fe-NO}8 species. These complexes have been characterized in CH3CN solutions by UV- vis and EPR spectroscopy; both possess a singlet ground state. All of these nitrosyliron complexes, including [LFe(NO)(N3)2] (S = 3/2; L = 1,4,7- trimethyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane) and [L'Fe(NO)(ONO)(NO2)](ClO4) (S = 0; L' = 1,4,7-triazacyclononane), have been studied by variable-temperature Mossbauer spectroscopy both in zero and applied fields. The oxidation of 1 is best described as metal-centered yielding a complex with an Fe(IV) (S = 1) coupled antiferromagnetically to an NO- (S = 1), whereas its reduction is ligand-centered and yields a species with a low-spin ferric ion (S = 1/2 ) antiferromagnetically coupled to an NO2- (S = 1/2 ). In agreement with Solomon et al. (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1995, 117, 715) both {Fe-NO}7 (S = 3/2) species in this work are described as high-spin ferric (S = 5/2) antiferromagnetically coupled to an NO- (S = 1). Complex 1 is proposed to contain an intermediate spin ferric ion (S = 3/2) antiferromagnetically coupled to NO- (S = 1). The alternative descriptions as low-spin ferric antiferromagnetically coupled to NO- (S = 1) or low-spin ferric with an NO- (S = 0) ligand are ruled out by the applied field Mossbauer spectra.
Reaction of a mixture of bismuth and iron oxides with chlorine and sulfur dioxide
Derlyukova,Vinokurova
, p. 1836 - 1842 (2008)
The processes in a heterogenous multicomponent system Bi2O 3-Fe2O3-Cl2-SO2. are explored. In the temperature range 300-700°C is clearly developed mutual influence of chemical reactions at introducing to the system of an additional component: chloridosublimation of both bismuth and iron in the presence of SO2 and chloridosublimation of bismuth at adding iron oxide to bismuth oxide are accelerated. In the region of the higher temperatures the possible chemical reactions in the system proceed independently: SO2 only dilutes chlorine and mutual influence of bismuth and iron oxides is not found.
Reactions of wüstite and hematite with different chlorinating agents
Kanari,Allain,Gaballah
, p. 79 - 86 (1999)
Chlorination of wüstite (Fe(1-x)O) and hematite (Fe2O3) with Cl2 + CO and Cl2 + N2 was studied by thermogravimetric analysis using non-isothermal conditions up to about 1000°C. The wüstite
Reaction of carotenoids and ferric chloride: Equilibria, isomerization, and products
Gao, Yunlong,Kispert, Lowell D.
, p. 5333 - 5338 (2003)
In the oxidation of carotenoids, ethyl all-trans-8a?2-apo-?2-caroten-8a?2-oate and all-fraws-?2-carotene, with ferric chloride, several equilibria occur between Fe3+, Fe2+, Cl-, the neutral carotenoid, and its radical cation and dication. The radical cation and dication were found to abstract an electron from Fe2+. Isomerization of carotenoids occurs during the oxidation. In the presence of air, a stable product is formed in high yield during the oxidation. 1H NMR, LC-MS, and optical studies show that this product is the 5,8-peroxide of the starting material. A mechanism for the formation of this compound is proposed.
Fowler, G.,Hartog, Ph. J.
, p. 299 - 299 (1901)
Effect of SO2 on chlorination of Bi2O3 + Fe2O3 mixtures
Derlyukova,Vinokurova,Anufrieva
, p. 1371 - 1375 (2008)
The reaction of Bi2O3 + Fe2O3 mixtures with chlorine and SO2 at 250-700°C is studied. At 300-500°C, the degree of bismuth chloride sublimation from the oxide mixture increases in the presence of SOsu
An overview study of chlorination reactions applied to the primary extraction and recycling of metals and to the synthesis of new reagents
Kanari,Allain,Joussemet,Mochón,Ruiz-Bustinza,Gaballah
, p. 42 - 50 (2010/01/06)
Energy intensive classical metallurgical processes, the depletion of high-grade ores and primary sources push the scientific and technical communities to treat lean and complex ores as well as secondary metal resources for the recovery of valuable metals.
