Ferric chloride
Description
A hygroscopic, brown solid used as an etchant in photoengraving as a mordant to produce a clean vertical edge. Ferric chloride is also used as a mordant in textile dyeing and as a brown pigment in paints and inks. An acidified solution of iron chloride is also used as a reagent to qualitatively test for the presence of arsenic or phosphorus in copper alloys (Odegaard et al 2000).
Synonyms and Related Terms
iron (III) chloride; ferric trichloride; ferric perchloride; iron chloride; iron trichloride; iron perchloride; Flores Martin; Eisen(III)chlorid (Deut.); chlorure de fer (III) (Fr.);
Other Properties
Soluble in water, ethanol, ether, acetone. Insoluble in ethyl acetate. Solid is deliquescent forming hexahydrate compound. Dissolution in water is exothermic and produced an acidic solution.
| Composition | FeCl3 |
|---|---|
| CAS | 7705-08-0 |
| Melting Point | 306 |
| Density | 2.90 |
| Molecular Weight | mol. wt. = 162.21 |
| Boiling Point | 315-316 |
Hazards and Safety
Noncombustible. Toxic by ingestion and inhalation. The corrosive, acidic compound will causes burns on contact. Decomposes in heat to form hydrogen chloride gas.
Mallinckrodt Baker: MSDS
Additional Information
N.Odegaard, S.Carroll, W.Zimmt, Material Characterization Tests for Objects of Art and Archaeology Archetype Publications, London, 2000, p. 42.
Authority
- Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)
- Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993
- Michael McCann, Artist Beware, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York City, 1979
- The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: entry 4061
- N.Odegaard, S.Carroll, W.Zimmt, Material Characterization Tests for Objects of Art and Archaeology, Archetype Publications, London, 2000
- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at http://www.wikipedia.com Comment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferric_chloride (Accessed Jan. 25, 2006)