Antimony trichloride
Encyclopedia
Antimony trichloride is the chemical compound
with the formula
Sb
Cl3
. The soft colorless solid with a pungent odor was known to the alchemists
as butter of antimony.
or antimony trisulfide. It also may be made by treating antimony trioxide with concentrated hydrochloric acid
.
. Thus, samples of SbCl3 must be protected from moisture.
Further indicating its Lewis acid
ity, SbCl3 forms adduct
s with chloride
, e.g. [SbCl5]2−.
Antimony trichloride can behave as a Lewis base. However, such reactions are very limited. They include the formation of carbonyl complexes
Fe(CO)3(SbCl3)2 and Ni(CO)3SbCl3.
for detecting vitamin A
and related carotenoid
s in the Carr-Price test. The antimony trichloride reacts with the carotenoid to form a blue complex
that can be measured by colorimetry
.
Antimony trichloride has also been used to enhance the louche effect in absinthe
. It has been used in the past to dissolve and remove horn stubs from calves without having to cut them off.
It is also used as a catalyst for polymerization, hydrocracking and chlorination reactions; as a mordant
; and in the production of other antimony salts. Its solution is used as an analytical reagent for chloral, aromatics and vitamin A
.
, the cause of which was later determined to be ingestion of antimony trichloride present in a solution used to dissolve their horn stubs.
Chemical compound
A chemical compound is a pure chemical substance consisting of two or more different chemical elements that can be separated into simpler substances by chemical reactions. Chemical compounds have a unique and defined chemical structure; they consist of a fixed ratio of atoms that are held together...
with the formula
Chemical formula
A chemical formula or molecular formula is a way of expressing information about the atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound....
Sb
Antimony
Antimony is a toxic chemical element with the symbol Sb and an atomic number of 51. A lustrous grey metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite...
Cl3
Chlorine
Chlorine is the chemical element with atomic number 17 and symbol Cl. It is the second lightest halogen, found in the periodic table in group 17. The element forms diatomic molecules under standard conditions, called dichlorine...
. The soft colorless solid with a pungent odor was known to the alchemists
Alchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
as butter of antimony.
Preparation
Antimony trichloride is prepared by reaction of chlorine with antimony, antimony trioxideAntimony trioxide
Antimony trioxide is the inorganic compound with the formula Sb2O3. It is the most important commercial compound of antimony. It is found in nature as the minerals valentinite and senarmontite...
or antimony trisulfide. It also may be made by treating antimony trioxide with concentrated hydrochloric acid
Hydrochloric acid
Hydrochloric acid is a solution of hydrogen chloride in water, that is a highly corrosive, strong mineral acid with many industrial uses. It is found naturally in gastric acid....
.
Reactions
On contact with water, it undergoes hydrolysis, forming antimony oxychloride and releasing hydrogen chlorideHydrogen chloride
The compound hydrogen chloride has the formula HCl. At room temperature, it is a colorless gas, which forms white fumes of hydrochloric acid upon contact with atmospheric humidity. Hydrogen chloride gas and hydrochloric acid are important in technology and industry...
. Thus, samples of SbCl3 must be protected from moisture.
- SbCl3 + H2O → SbOCl + 2HCl
Further indicating its Lewis acid
Lewis acid
]The term Lewis acid refers to a definition of acid published by Gilbert N. Lewis in 1923, specifically: An acid substance is one which can employ a lone pair from another molecule in completing the stable group of one of its own atoms. Thus, H+ is a Lewis acid, since it can accept a lone pair,...
ity, SbCl3 forms adduct
Adduct
An adduct is a product of a direct addition of two or more distinct molecules, resulting in a single reaction product containing all atoms of all components. The resultant is considered a distinct molecular species...
s with chloride
Chloride
The chloride ion is formed when the element chlorine, a halogen, picks up one electron to form an anion Cl−. The salts of hydrochloric acid HCl contain chloride ions and can also be called chlorides. The chloride ion, and its salts such as sodium chloride, are very soluble in water...
, e.g. [SbCl5]2−.
Antimony trichloride can behave as a Lewis base. However, such reactions are very limited. They include the formation of carbonyl complexes
Fe(CO)3(SbCl3)2 and Ni(CO)3SbCl3.
Uses
SbCl3 is a reagentReagent
A reagent is a "substance or compound that is added to a system in order to bring about a chemical reaction, or added to see if a reaction occurs." Although the terms reactant and reagent are often used interchangeably, a reactant is less specifically a "substance that is consumed in the course of...
for detecting vitamin A
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is a vitamin that is needed by the retina of the eye in the form of a specific metabolite, the light-absorbing molecule retinal, that is necessary for both low-light and color vision...
and related carotenoid
Carotenoid
Carotenoids are tetraterpenoid organic pigments that are naturally occurring in the chloroplasts and chromoplasts of plants and some other photosynthetic organisms like algae, some bacteria, and some types of fungus. Carotenoids can be synthesized fats and other basic organic metabolic building...
s in the Carr-Price test. The antimony trichloride reacts with the carotenoid to form a blue complex
Complex (chemistry)
In chemistry, a coordination complex or metal complex, is an atom or ion , bonded to a surrounding array of molecules or anions, that are in turn known as ligands or complexing agents...
that can be measured by colorimetry
Colorimetry
Colorimetry is "the science and technology used to quantify and describe physically the human color perception."It is similar to spectrophotometry, but is distinguished by its interest in reducing spectra to the physical correlates of color perception, most often the CIE 1931 XYZ color space...
.
Antimony trichloride has also been used to enhance the louche effect in absinthe
Absinthe
Absinthe is historically described as a distilled, highly alcoholic beverage. It is an anise-flavoured spirit derived from herbs, including the flowers and leaves of the herb Artemisia absinthium, commonly referred to as "grande wormwood", together with green anise and sweet fennel...
. It has been used in the past to dissolve and remove horn stubs from calves without having to cut them off.
It is also used as a catalyst for polymerization, hydrocracking and chlorination reactions; as a mordant
Mordant
A mordant is a substance used to set dyes on fabrics or tissue sections by forming a coordination complex with the dye which then attaches to the fabric or tissue. It may be used for dyeing fabrics, or for intensifying stains in cell or tissue preparations. The term mordant comes from the Latin...
; and in the production of other antimony salts. Its solution is used as an analytical reagent for chloral, aromatics and vitamin A
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is a vitamin that is needed by the retina of the eye in the form of a specific metabolite, the light-absorbing molecule retinal, that is necessary for both low-light and color vision...
.
Appearance in Popular Culture
In episode 12 of the third season of the popular British program All Creatures Great and Small, several calves died following an episode of nonspecific gastroenteritisGastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis is marked by severe inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract involving both the stomach and small intestine resulting in acute diarrhea and vomiting. It can be transferred by contact with contaminated food and water...
, the cause of which was later determined to be ingestion of antimony trichloride present in a solution used to dissolve their horn stubs.