WebElements Periodic Table of the Elements | Gallium

Gallium compounds: digallium hexachloride

The gallium in digallium hexachloride formally is in the oxidation state 3.

Digallium hexachloride

Formula as often written: Ga₂Cl₆
Hill system formula: Cl₆Ga₂
CAS registry number: [13450-90-3]
Formula weight: 352.162
Class: chloride

Synonyms

digallium hexachloride
gallium(III) chloride
gallium chloride
gallium trichloride

Physical properties

Colour: white
Appearance: crystalline solid
Melting point: 78°C
Boiling point: 201°C
Density: 2470 kg m^-3

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Element analysis

Element percentages for the elements in digallium hexachloride
Element	%
Cl	60.40
Ga	39.60

Synthesis

2Ga + 6HCl (200°C) → 2GaCl₃ + 3H₂

Gallium(III) chloride can be made by direct reaction between the elements but hot gallium reacts with hydrogen chloride gas to form gallium(III) chloride in a reaction that does not require the use of chlorine gas. The product sublimes away and the yield is nearly quantitative based upon gallium. The product is a hygroscopic white crystalline solid whose m.p. is 76°C. It sublimes easily under reduced pressures below the melting point.

Solid state structure

Geometry of gallium: 4 coordinate: tetrahedral
Prototypical structure:

Crystal structure of digallium hexachloride

Isotope pattern

What follows is the calculated isotope pattern for the Ga₂Cl₆ unit with the most intense ion set to 100%.

Formula: Ga₂Cl₆

mass  %
348  22.1 ___________
349   0.0 
350  71.8 ____________________________________
351   0.0 
352 100.0 __________________________________________________
353   0.0 
354  78.2 _______________________________________
355   0.0 
356  37.6 ___________________
357   0.0 
358  11.4 ______
359   0.0 
360   2.1 _
361   0.0 
362   0.2 
363   0.0 
364   0.0

References

The data on these compounds pages are assembled and adapted from the primary literature and several other sources including the following.

R.T. Sanderson in Chemical Periodicity, Reinhold, New York, USA, 1960.
N.N. Greenwood and A. Earnshaw in Chemistry of the Elements, 2nd edition, Butterworth, UK, 1997.
F.A. Cotton, G. Wilkinson, C.A. Murillo, and M. Bochmann, in Advanced Inorganic Chemistry, John Wiley & Sons, 1999.
A.F. Trotman-Dickenson, (ed.) in Comprehensive Inorganic Chemistry, Pergamon, Oxford, UK, 1973.
R.W.G. Wyckoff, in Crystal Structures, volume 1, Interscience, John Wiley & Sons, 1963.
A.R.West in Basic solid state chemistry Chemistry, John Wiley & Sons, 1999.
A.F. Wells in Structural inorganic chemistry, 4th edition, Oxford, UK, 1975.
J.D.H. Donnay, (ed.) in Crystal data determinative tables, ACA monograph number 5, American Crystallographic Association, USA, 1963.
D.R. Lide, (ed.) in Chemical Rubber Company handbook of chemistry and physics, CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, USA, 77th edition, 1996.
J.W. Mellor in A comprehensive treatise on inorganic and theoretical chemistry, volumes 1-16, Longmans, London, UK, 1922-1937.
J.E. Macintyre (ed.) in Dictionary of inorganic compounds, volumes 1-3, Chapman & Hall, London, UK, 1992.