Characteristic

Bismuth oxychloride is an inorganic compound of bismuth with the formula BiOCl. It is a lustrous white solid used since antiquity, notably in ancient Egypt. Light wave interference from its plate-like structure gives a pearly iridescent light reflectivity similar to nacre. It is also known as pearl white.

Chemical formula:BiOCl

Appearance:White solid

Density: 7.36 (meas.), 7.78 g/cm³ (calc.)

Solubility in water:insoluble

Crystal structure:Tetragonal

Application

Bismuth(III) chloride oxide is used in pharmaceutical industry, in the production of cosmetics, in chemical and metallurgical industries. It is used as pigment, in manufacture of artificial pearls and as a dry-cell cathodes, in photocatalysts for degradation of organic pollutant, in white-light LEDs, in the manufacture of plastics, in the synthesis of methanol, in semiconductor devices such as CCDs or photodiodes and also used in the production of permanent magnets.