Beryllium chloride

Chlorberyllium

Sweet-tasting, colorless, deliquescent crystals

Fixed

1.9 g · cm -3

405 ° C

482 ° C

Easily soluble in water, ethanol and other organic solvents

Risk

• 86-200 mg · kg -1 ( LD50, rat, oral)
• 92 mg · kg -1 ( LD50, mouse, oral)

-490.4 KJ / mol

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Beryllium is the Berylliumsalz of hydrochloric acid with the molecular formula BeCl2. The salt is used, among other things, for the production of metallic beryllium by electrolysis.

Production and representation

BeCl2 is prepared industrially from beryllium, carbon and chlorine at 800 ° C:

Physical Properties

The Be - Cl bond has strong covalent bonding. Beryllium, therefore, forms no ionic lattice such as magnesium or calcium chloride, but a chain-like polymeric structure in which each beryllium nucleus is surrounded tetrahedrally by four chlorine atoms. The structure corresponds in structure to the fibrous form of silica.

In the gas phase, monomeric and dimeric find BeCl2 units, in which the intrinsic electron deficiency at the beryllium atom is reduced by partial double bond character of the Be - Cl bond. The bond length in the monomer is 170 pm.

Chemical Properties

Beryllium is in a highly exothermic hydrolysis in solution, wherein the aqueous solution is acidic.

The Tetraaquaberyllium cations from reacting as Aqua acid and dissociate.

The Lewis acid is dissolved in donor solvents BeCl2, such as Alcohols or ethers, which adducts are formed. BeCl2 can be used as catalyst in a Friedel -Crafts alkylation accordingly.

Beryllium chloride is reduced to elemental beryllium when fused with sodium of air.