Ferric chloride, the iron (III) chloride, has a wide range of applications. In industry, it is used for sewage treatment and drinking water purification, including arsenic removal; as a leaching agent in chloride hydrometallurgy; for etching copper through two-step redox reactions to produce copper (I) chloride and then copper chloride in printed circuit board manufacturing; and as a catalyst in the synthesis of ethylene dichloride from ethylene and chlorine. In the laboratory, it is commonly used as a Lewis acid to catalyze reactions such as the chlorination of aromatic compounds and Friedel–Crafts reactions of aromatics.
Iron chloride hexahydrate Chemical Properties
| Melting point | 37 °C(lit.) |
| Boiling point | 280-285 °C(lit.) |
| Density | 1,82 g/cm3 |
| Bulk density | 600-1200kg/m3 |
| Vapor pressure | 1 mm Hg ( 194 °C) |
| Fp | 280-285°C |
| Storage temp | 2-8°C |
| Solubility | 920g/l |
| Form | Purified lumps |
| Color | Yellow-brown lumps |
| Specific Gravity | 1.82 |
| PH | 1.8 (10g/l, H2O, 25℃) |
| Water Solubility | 920 g/L (20 ºC) |
| Sensitive | Hygroscopic |
| Merck | 14,4019 |
| Exposure limits | ACGIH: TWA 1 mg/m3 NIOSH: TWA 1 mg/m3 |
| Stability | Stable. Incompatible with strong oxidizing agents. Forms explosive mixtures with sodium and potassium. Hygroscopic. |
| CAS DataBase Reference | 10025-77-1(CAS DataBase Reference) |
Safety Information
| Hazard Codes | Xn,C |
| Risk Statements | 22-38-41-34 |
| Safety Statements | 26-39-45-36/37/39 |
| RIDADR | UN 3260 8/PG 3 |
| WGK Germany | 1 |
| RTECS | NO5425000 |
| F | 3 |
| TSCA | Yes |
| HazardClass | 8 |
| PackingGroup | III |
| HS Code | 28273300 |
| Toxicity | LD50 orally in Rabbit: 316 mg/kg |
Product Application
Ferric chloride is widely used in industrial wastewater treatment, chloride hydrometallurgy (e.g., the Silgarin process for silicon production), and drinking water purification. It is also applied in the production of PVC precursors and copper-based components in printed circuit boards. Additionally, it serves as an etching agent in photoengraving and photography, a mordant in textile dyeing and printing, and a reagent for detecting phenols, phenolic derivatives, gamma-hydroxybutyric acids, and salicylic acids in Trinder spot tests.
