Gold(I,III) chloride

Last updated
Gold(I,III) chloride
Au4Cl8-from-xtal-1982-2D-with-oxidation-states.png
Au4Cl8-from-xtal-3D-bs-17.png
Names
Systematic IUPAC name
tetra-μ-chlorotetrachlorotetragold
Other names
Mixed gold chloride, Tetragold octachloride
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
PubChem CID
  • InChI=1S/4Au.4ClH.4Cl/h;;;;4*1H;;;;/q;;2*+2;;;;;;;;/p-4 X mark.svgN
    Key: NWBJVUUFMJPGPV-UHFFFAOYSA-J X mark.svgN
  • Cl[Au]1(Cl)[Cl][Au][Cl][Au](Cl)(Cl)[Cl][Au][Cl]1
  • [Cl-].[Cl-].[Cl-].[Cl-].[Cl-].[Cl-].[Cl-].[Cl-].[Au+].[Au+].[Au+3].[Au+3]
Properties
Au
4
Cl
8
Molar mass 1071.490 g mol−1
Appearanceblack crystals
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
X mark.svgN  verify  (what is  Yes check.svgYX mark.svgN ?)

Gold(I,III) chloride is a black solid with the chemical formula Au 4 Cl 8. It is an example of a mixed valence compound as it contains gold in two different oxidation states; square-planar gold(III) and almost linear gold(I). The compound is photosensitive as well as air- and moisture-sensitive.

Contents

Synthesis

Gold(I,III) chloride may be prepared by the reaction of gold(III) chloride with gold carbonyl chloride [1] or carbon monoxide [2] at room temperature in thionyl chloride.

Au2(CO)Cl4 + Au2Cl6 → COCl2 + Au4Cl8
2 Au2Cl6 + 2 CO → Au4Cl8 + 2 COCl2

Structure and properties

Single crystals of gold(I,III) chloride are triclinic with a P1 space group and consist of discrete Au4Cl8 molecules with idealised C2h symmetry. [1] Within this the Au(I) centers are linearly coordinated with a Cl-Au-Cl bond angle of 175.0° (close to the ideal value of 180°) and an average bond length of 2.30 Å. The Au(III) centers adopt a slightly irregular square-planar conformation with the Au-Cl bond lengths for bridging chlorides (2.33 Å) being slightly longer than those of terminal chlorides (2.24 Å).

Related Research Articles

Phosgene Chemical compound

Phosgene is the organic chemical compound with the formula COCl2. It is a toxic, colorless gas; in low concentrations, its musty odor resembles that of freshly cut hay or grass. Phosgene is a valued and important industrial building block, especially for the production of precursors of polyurethanes and polycarbonate plastics.

In organic chemistry, an acyl chloride (or acid chloride) is an organic compound with the functional group -COCl. Their formula is usually written RCOCl, where R is a side chain. They are reactive derivatives of carboxylic acids. A specific example of an acyl chloride is acetyl chloride, CH3COCl. Acyl chlorides are the most important subset of acyl halides.

Acyl halide Chemical compound

An acyl halide is a chemical compound derived from an oxoacid by replacing a hydroxyl group with a halide group.

Cerium(III) chloride Chemical compound

Cerium(III) chloride (CeCl3), also known as cerous chloride or cerium trichloride, is a compound of cerium and chlorine. It is a white hygroscopic salt; it rapidly absorbs water on exposure to moist air to form a hydrate, which appears to be of variable composition, though the heptahydrate CeCl3·7H2O is known. It is highly soluble in water, and (when anhydrous) it is soluble in ethanol and acetone.

Oxalyl chloride Chemical compound

Oxalyl chloride is an organic chemical compound with the formula (COCl)2. This colorless, sharp-smelling liquid, the diacyl chloride of oxalic acid, is a useful reagent in organic synthesis.

Thionyl chloride Chemical compound

Thionyl chloride is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula SOCl
2
. It is a moderately volatile colourless liquid with an unpleasant acrid odour. Thionyl chloride is primarily used as a chlorinating reagent, with approximately 45,000 tonnes per year being produced during the early 1990s, but is occasionally also used as a solvent. It is toxic, reacts with water, and is also listed under the Chemical Weapons Convention as it may be used for the production of chemical weapons.

Gold(III) chloride Chemical compound

Gold(III) chloride, traditionally called auric chloride, is a compound of gold and chlorine with the molecular formula Au2Cl6. The "III" in the name indicates that the gold has an oxidation state of +3, typical for many gold compounds. Gold(III) chloride is hygroscopic and decomposes in visible light. This compound is a dimer of AuCl3. This compound has few uses, although it catalyzes various organic reactions.

Sulfoxide

A sulfoxide is a chemical compound containing a sulfinyl (SO) functional group attached to two carbon atoms. It is a polar functional group. Sulfoxides are an oxidized derivatives of sulfides. Examples of important sulfoxides are alliin, a precursor to the compound that gives freshly crushed garlic its aroma, and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), a common solvent.

Trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride Chemical compound

Trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride, also known as triflic anhydride, is the chemical compound with the formula (CF3SO2)2O. It is the acid anhydride derived from triflic acid. This compound is a strong electrophile, useful for introducing the triflyl group, CF3SO2. Abbreviated Tf2O, triflic anhydride is the acid anhydride of the strong acid triflic acid, CF3SO2OH.

Chromium(II) chloride Chemical compound

Chromium(II) chloride describes inorganic compounds with the formula CrCl2(H2O)n. The anhydrous solid is white when pure, however commercial samples are often grey or green; it is hygroscopic and readily dissolves in water to give bright blue air-sensitive solutions of the tetrahydrate Cr(H2O)4Cl2. Chromium(II) chloride has no commercial uses but is used on a laboratory-scale for the synthesis of other chromium complexes.

Gold(III) bromide Chemical compound

Gold(III) bromide is a dark-red to black crystalline solid. It has the empirical formula AuBr3, but exists primarily as a dimer with the molecular formula Au2Br6 in which two gold atoms are bridged by two bromine atoms. It is commonly referred to as gold(III) bromide, gold tribromide, and rarely but traditionally auric bromide, and sometimes as digold hexabromide. As is similar with the other gold halides, this compound is unique for being a coordination complex of a group 11 transition metal that is stable in an oxidation state of +3 whereas copper or silver complexes persist in oxidation states of +1 or +2.

Gallium trichloride Chemical compound

Gallium trichloride is the chemical compound with the formula GaCl3. Solid gallium trichloride exists as a dimer with the formula Ga2Cl6. It is colourless and soluble in virtually all solvents, even alkanes, which is truly unusual for a metal halide. It is the main precursor to most derivatives of gallium and a reagent in organic synthesis.

Chloroauric acid Chemical compound

Chloroauric acid refers to inorganic compounds with the chemical formula H[AuCl4nH2O. Both the trihydrate and tetrahydrate are known. Both are orange-yellow solids consisting of the planar [AuCl4] anion. Often chloroauric acid is handled as a solution, such as those obtained by dissolution of gold in aqua regia. These solutions can be converted to other gold complexes or reduced to metallic gold or gold nanoparticles.

Organogold chemistry is the study of compounds containing gold–carbon bonds. They are studied in academic research, but have not received widespread use otherwise. The dominant oxidation states for organogold compounds are I with coordination number 2 and a linear molecular geometry and III with CN = 4 and a square planar molecular geometry. The first organogold compound discovered was gold(I) carbide Au2C2, which was first prepared in 1900.

Niobium oxychloride Chemical compound

Niobium oxychloride is the inorganic compound with the formula NbOCl3. It is a white, crystalline, diamagnetic solid. It is often found as an impurity in samples of niobium pentachloride, a common reagent in niobium chemistry.

Molecular oxohalides (oxyhalides) are a group of chemical compounds in which both oxygen and halogen atoms are attached to another chemical element A in a single molecule. They have the general formula AOmXn, X = F, Cl, Br, I. The element A may be a main group element, a transition element or an actinide. The term oxohalide, or oxyhalide, may also refer to minerals and other crystalline substances with the same overall chemical formula, but having an ionic structure.

Molybdenum(IV) bromide, also known as molybdenum tetrabromide, is the inorganic compound with the formula MoBr4. It is a black solid. MoBr4 has been prepared by treatment of molybdenum(V) chloride with hydrogen bromide:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transition metal chloride complex</span> Coordination complex

In chemistry, a transition metal chloride complex is a coordination complex that consists of a transition metal coordinated to one or more chloride ligand. The class of complexes is extensive.

Transition metal ether complex

In chemistry, a transition metal ether complex is a coordination complex consisting of a transition metal bonded to one or more ether ligand. The inventory of complexes is extensive. Common ether ligands are diethyl ether and tetrahydrofuran. Common chelating ether ligands include the glymes, dimethoxyethane (dme) and diglyme, and the crown ethers. Being lipophilic, metal-ether complexes often exhibit solubility in organic solvents, a property of interest in synthetic chemistry.

Protactinium(IV) chloride Chemical compound

Protactinium(IV) chloride is an inorganic compound. It is an actinide halide, composed of protactinium and chlorine. It is radioactive, and has the chemical formula of PaCl4. It is a chartreuse-coloured (yellowish-green) crystal of the tetragonal crystal system.

References

  1. 1 2 Dell'Amico, Daniela Belli; Calderazzo, Fausto; Marchetti, Fabio; Merlino, Stefano; Perego, Giovanni (1977). "X-Ray crystal and molecular structure of Au4Cl8, the product of the reduction of Au2Cl6 by Au(CO)Cl". Journal of the Chemical Society, Chemical Communications (1): 31. doi:10.1039/C39770000031.
  2. Dell'Amico, Daniela Belli; Calderazzo, Fausto; Marchetti, Fabio; Merlino, Stefano (1982). "Synthesis and molecular structure of [Au4Cl8], and the isolation of [Pt(CO)Cl5] in thionyl chloride". Journal of the Chemical Society, Dalton Transactions (11): 2257. doi:10.1039/DT9820002257.