Cerium chloride (CeCl3)-Crystalline

Characteristic

Cerium(III) chloride (CeCl₃), also known as cerous chloride or cerium trichloride, is a compound of cerium and chlorine. It is a white hygroscopic solid.

Chemical formula：CeCl₃

Molar mass： 246.48 g/mol (anhydrous)

372.58 g/mol (heptahydrate)

Appearance： fine white powder

Density： 3.97 g/cm³

Melting point： 817 °C (1,503 °F; 1,090 K) (anhydrous)

90 °C (heptahydrate, decomposes)

Boiling point： 1,727 °C (3,141 °F; 2,000 K)

Solubility in water：100 g/100 ml

Solubility： soluble in alcohol

Magnetic susceptibility (χ)：+2490.0·10−6 cm³/mol

Crystal structure：hexagonal

Application

Cerium(III) chloride is used in incandescent gas mantles, spectrography and polymerization of olefins. It acts as a Lewis acid and used in Friedel-Crafts alkylation and acylation reactions in organic synthesis. It is used as a precursor for the preparation of other cerium salts, such as cerium(III) trifluoromethanesulfonate.