Formula AuCl Boiling point 298 °C Density 7.6 g/cm³ | Molar mass 232.423 g/mol Melting point 170 °C Appearance yellow solid | |
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Gold(I) chloride is a compound of gold and chlorine with the chemical formula AuCl.
Contents
Preparation
Gold(I) chloride is prepared by thermal decomposition of gold(III) chloride.
Reactions
Although there is a region of stability at higher temperatures at the appropriate chlorine vapor pressures, the compound is metastable at ambient conditions. When heated with water, the compound disporpotionates to metallic gold and gold(III) chloride in an autoredox reaction:
3 AuCl → 2 Au + AuCl3Reaction with potassium bromide yields potassium auric bromide and potassium chloride with separation of metallic gold:
3 AuCl + 4 KBr → KAuBr4 + 2 Au + 3 KClSafety
Gold(I) chloride may irritate the skin and eyes, damage kidney function, and reduce white blood cell counts.
References
Gold(I) chloride Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA