707. Antimony Trichloride

Nomenclature

CAS number: 10025-91-9
Trichlorostibine; antimony(III) chloride; butter of antimony.
Cl3Sb; mol wt 228.12.
Cl 46.62%, Sb 53.38%.
SbCl3.

Description and references

Prepd from the elements: Hensgen, Rec. Trav. Chim. 9, 301 (1890); Kendall et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 45, 967 (1923); Schenk in Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry vol. 1, G. Brauer, Ed. (Academic Press, New York, 2nd ed., 1963) p 608. Purification: Werner, Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem. 181, 154 (1929); Schaafsma, US 2324240 (1943 to Shell). Toxicology profile: H. Huang et al., Toxicology 129, 113 (1998).

Properties

Orthorhombic, deliquesc needles from carbon disulfide or by sublimation at 100°. Fumes in air. Poisonous, corrosive. d420 3.14. mp 73°. bp 223.5°; bp70 143.5°; bp11 102°. Cryoscopic constant: 18.4. Heat of fusion at 73.2°: 13.29 cal/g. Specific heat at 33°: 0.110 cal/g/°C. Dipole moment: 3.12 at 25° in CS2. One gram dissolves in 10.1 ml H2O at 25°. Gradual hydrolysis to SbOCl. Considerably more sol in dil HCl. Sol in alcohol, benzene, carbon disulfide, dioxane, chloroform (about 22%), ether, acetone, carbon tetrachloride. A satd soln in carbon tetrachloride is about 1.1 M. Insol in pyridine, quinoline, other organic bases. Handle in an anhydrous, inert atomsphere.

Caution

Potential symptoms of overexposure are skin and eye irritation or burns, irritation of the respiratory tract and breathing difficulties, pulmonary edema, liver, heart, and kidney damage.

Use

Reagent for chloral, aromatic hydrocarbons, and vitamin A. For mol wt determinations. In chemical microscopy for the identification of drugs (forms adducts and addition compds). Mordant, in making other antimony salts. Lewis acid catalyst in organic synthesis. In semiconductor applications. See also antimony trichloride soln.