Erbium(III) carbonate

Erbium(III) carbonate

Names
IUPAC name Erbium(III) carbonate
Other names Dierbium tricarbonate Erbium carbonate
Identifiers
CAS Number	6067-35-2 monohydrate: 22992-83-2
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image monohydrate: Interactive image
ChemSpider	monohydrate: 21242008
EC Number	228-003-4 monohydrate:620-661-4
PubChem CID	165402 monohydrate: 25021615
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)	DTXSID30890613 monohydrate: DTXSID20648463
InChI InChI=1S/3CH2O3.2Er/c3*2-1(3)4;;/h3*(H2,2,3,4);;/q;;;2*+3/p-6 Key: SKXKDIXGQVABHP-UHFFFAOYSA-H monohydrate:InChI=1S/3CH2O3.2Er.H2O/c3*2-1(3)4;;;/h3*(H2,2,3,4);;;1H2/q;;;2*+3;/p-6 Key: JGMPMNQKIPWYKQ-UHFFFAOYSA-H
SMILES C(=O)([O-])[O-].C(=O)([O-])[O-].C(=O)([O-])[O-].[Er+3].[Er+3] monohydrate:C(=O)([O-])[O-].C(=O)([O-])[O-].C(=O)([O-])[O-].O.[Er+3].[Er+3]
Properties
Chemical formula	Er2(CO3)3
Molar mass	514.542 g·mol−1
Solubility in water	negligible [1]
Solubility	soluble in acids [1]
Hazards [2]
GHS labelling:
Pictograms
Signal word	Warning
Hazard statements	H315, H319, H335
Precautionary statements	P261, P264, P271, P280, P302, P304, P362, P405, P501
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). Infobox references

Erbium(III) carbonate is an erbium compound with the chemical formula Er₂(CO₃)₃.

Preparation

Erbium carbonate can be made by the thermal decomposition of erbium(III) trichloroacetate which can be made by the reaction between erbium(III) oxide and trichloroacetic acid. ^[1]

Er₂O₃ + 6 CCl₃CO₂H → 2 Er(CCl₃CO₂)₃ + 3 H₂O

2 Er(CCl₃CO₂)₃ → Er₂(CO₃)₃ + side products

Alternatively, the poor solubility of erbium carbonate in water can be used to precipitate it from an aqueous solution of erbium(III) ions and carbonate ions.^{[ citation needed ]}

2 Er³⁺ + 3 CO₃²⁻ → Er₂(CO₃)₃

Properties

Erbium carbonate thermally decomposes to erbium(III) oxide upon heating.

Er₂(CO₃)₃ → Er₂O₃ + 3 CO₂

This can be used to produce nano particles of erbium oxide as erbium carbonate can be selectively precipitated into particles with an average size of 36 nm. ^[3] Smaller sizes between 10 nm and 20 nm have also been reported. ^[4]

It has a low solubility in water but dissolves in acids like perchloric acid. ^[1]

It reacts with the chelator thenoyltrifluoroacetone by losing the three carbonate ions. ^[5]

References

1. Firsching, F. Henry; Mohammadzadei, Javad (1986). "Solubility products of the rare-earth carbonates". Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data. 31 (1): 40–42. doi:10.1021/je00043a013 . Retrieved 2025-08-15.
2. "Erbium carbonate hydrate, 99.90%". MilliporeSigma. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
3. Rahimi-Nasrabadi, Mehdi; Pourmortazavi, Seied Mahdi; Karimi, Meisam Sadeghpour; Aghazadeh, Mustafa; Ganjali, Mohmmad Reza; Norouzi, Parviz (2017). "Statistical optimization of experimental parameters for synthesis of two efficient photocatalyst: erbium carbonate and erbium oxide nanoparticles". Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics. 28 (20): 15224–15232. doi:10.1007/s10854-017-7400-x . Retrieved August 15, 2025.
4. Titov, A. A.; Klimenko, M. A.; Opolchenova, N. L.; Eremenko, Z. V.; Stepanova, N. N.; Mikhlin, E. B. (2009). "Nanocrystalline erbium oxide powders synthesized by the solid-state method from carbonates, oxalates, and hydroxides". Theoretical Foundations of Chemical Engineering. 43 (5): 743–746. doi:10.1134/S0040579509050224 . Retrieved August 15, 2025.
5. Zolotareva, Nataliya V.; Semenov, Vladimir V.; Cherkasov, Anton V. (2014). "Reaction of erbium(iii) carbonate with thenoyltrifluoroacetone: The molecular structure of hydrate hydroxonium tetrakis(thenoyltrifluoroacetonato)erbate(iii)". Mendeleev Communications. 24 (3): 182–184. doi:10.1016/j.mencom.2014.04.021.