| Names | |
|---|---|
| IUPAC name Chromium(II) chloride | |
| Other names Chromous chloride | |
| Identifiers | |
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3D model (JSmol) |
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| ChemSpider |
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| ECHA InfoCard | 100.030.136 |
| EC Number |
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| RTECS number |
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| UNII |
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| UN number | 3077 |
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| Properties | |
| Cl2Cr | |
| Molar mass | 122.90 g·mol−1 |
| Appearance | White to grey/green powder (anhydrous) blue solid (tetrahydrate) |
| Odor | Odorless |
| Density | 2.88 g/cm3 (24 °C)[1] |
| Melting point | 824 °C (1,515 °F; 1,097 K) anhydrous 51 °C (124 °F; 324 K) tetrahydrate, decomposes[1] |
| Boiling point | 1,302 °C (2,376 °F; 1,575 K) anhydrous[1] |
| Soluble[1] | |
| Solubility | Insoluble inalcohol,ether |
| Acidity (pKa) | 2 |
| +7230·10−6 cm3/mol | |
| Structure | |
| Orthorhombic (deformedrutile, anhydrous),oP6[2] Monoclinic (tetrahydrate)[3] | |
| Pnnm, No. 58 (anhydrous)[2] P21/c, No. 14 (tetrahydrate)[3] | |
| 2/m 2/m 2/m (anhydrous)[2] 2/m (tetrahydrate)[3] | |
a = 6.64 Å,b = 5.98 Å,c = 3.48 Å (anhydrous)[2] α = 90°, β = 90°, γ = 90° | |
| Octahedral (Cr2+, anhydrous)[2] | |
| Thermochemistry | |
| 71.2 J/mol·K[1] | |
Std molar entropy(S⦵298) | 115.3 J/mol·K[1] |
Std enthalpy of formation(ΔfH⦵298) | −395.4 kJ/mol[1] |
Gibbs free energy(ΔfG⦵) | −356 kJ/mol[1] |
| Hazards | |
| GHS labelling: | |
| Warning | |
| H302,H315,H319,H335[4] | |
| P261,P305+P351+P338[4] | |
| NFPA 704 (fire diamond) | |
| Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC): | |
LD50 (median dose) | 1870 mg/kg (rats, oral)[5] |
| Safety data sheet (SDS) | Oxford MSDS |
| Related compounds | |
Otheranions | Chromium(II) fluoride Chromium(II) bromide Chromium(II) iodide |
Othercations | Chromium(III) chloride Chromium(IV) chloride Molybdenum(II) chloride Tungsten(II) chloride |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in theirstandard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). | |
Chromium(II) chloride describesinorganic compounds with theformulaCrCl2(H2O)n. The anhydrous solid is white when pure, however commercial samples are often grey or green; it ishygroscopic 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.
CrCl2 is produced by reducingchromium(III) chloride either withhydrogen at 500 °C:
or by electrolysis.
On the laboratory scale,LiAlH4,zinc, and related reductants produce chromous chloride from chromium(III) precursors:
CrCl2 can also be prepared by treating a solution ofchromium(II) acetate withhydrogen chloride:[6]
Treatment of chromium powder with concentratedhydrochloric acid gives a blue hydrated chromium(II) chloride, which can be converted to a relatedacetonitrile complex.[7]
Anhydrous CrCl2 is white[6] however commercial samples are often grey or green. It crystallizes in thePnnmspace group, which is an orthorhombically distorted variant of therutile structure; making it isostructural tocalcium chloride. The Cr centres areoctahedral, being distorted by theJahn-Teller Effect.[8]

The hydrated derivative, CrCl2(H2O)4, formsmonoclinic crystals with theP21/c space group. The molecular geometry is approximately octahedral consisting of four short Cr—O bonds (2.078 Å) arranged in a square planar configuration and two longer Cr—Cl bonds (2.758 Å) in a trans configuration.[3]
Thereduction potential for Cr3+ + e− ⇄ Cr2+ is −0.41. Since the reduction potential of H+ to H2 in acidic conditions is +0.00, the chromous ion has sufficient potential to reduce acids to hydrogen, although this reaction does not occur without a catalyst.
Chromium(II) chloride is used as precursor to other inorganic and organometallic chromium complexes. Alkyl halides and nitroaromatics are reduced by CrCl2. The moderate electronegativity of chromium and the range of substrates that CrCl2 can accommodate makeorganochromium reagents very synthetically versatile.[9] It is a reagent in theNozaki-Hiyama-Kishi reaction, a useful method for preparing medium-size rings.[10] It is also used in theTakai olefination to form vinyl iodides from aldehydes in the presence ofiodoform.[11]
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