science

Indium(III) chloride

Indium(III) chloride is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Indium(III) chloride rather than just read about it. In short: Indium(III) chloride is the chemical compound with the formula InCl3 which forms a tetrahydrate. This salt is a white, flaky solid with applications in organic synthesis as a Lewis acid.

Key takeaways

Indium(III) chloride belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Indium(III) chloride to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Indium(III) chloride from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Indium(III) chloride is the chemical compound with the formula InCl3 which forms a tetrahydrate. This salt is a white, flaky solid with applications in organic synthesis as a Lewis acid. It is also the most available soluble derivative of indium. This is one of three known indium chlorides.

Synthesis and structure Being a relatively electropositive metal, indium reacts quickly with chlorine to give the trichloride. Indium trichloride is very soluble and deliquescent. A synthesis has been reported using an electrochemical cell in a mixed methanol-benzene solution. Like AlCl3 and TlCl3, InCl3 crystallizes as a layered structure consisting of a close-packed chloride arrangement containing layers of octahedrally coordinated In(III) centers, a structure akin to that seen in YCl3. In contrast, GaCl3 crystallizes as dimers containing Ga2Cl6. Molten InCl3 conducts electricity, whereas AlCl3 does not as it converts to the molecular dimer, Al2Cl6. The tetrahydrate, InCl3·4H2O, crystallises in the orthorhombic crystal system. It consists of a unit of [InCl3(H2O)2] interconnected by two water of crystallizations. It is produced by the evaporation of a solution of indium(III) chloride.

Reactions InCl3 is a Lewis acid and forms complexes with donor ligands, L, InCl3L, InCl3L2, InCl3L3. For example, with the chloride ion it forms tetrahedral [InCl4]−, trigonal bipyramidal [InCl5]2−, and octahedral [InCl6]3−. In diethyl ether solution, InCl3 reacts with lithium hydride, LiH, to form lithium tetrahydroindate(III) Li[InH4]. This unstable compound decomposes below 0 °C, and is reacted in situ in organic synthesis as a reducing agent and to prepare tertiary amine and phosphine complexes of InH3. Trimethylindium, InMe3, can be produced by reacting InCl3 in diethyl ether solution either with the Grignard reagent methylmagnesium iodide CH3MgI or methyllithium LiCH3. Triethylindium can be prepared in a similar fashion but with the grignard reagent EtMgBr.

InCl3 + 3 LiMe → Me3In·OEt2 + 3 LiCl InCl3 + 3 MeMgI → Me3In·OEt2 + 3 MgClI InCl3 + 3 EtMgBr → Me3In·OEt2 + 3 MgBr2 InCl3 reacts with indium metal at high temperature to form the lower valent indium chlorides In5Cl9, In2Cl3 and InCl.

Catalyst in chemistry Indium chloride is a Lewis acid catalyst in organic reactions such as Friedel-Crafts acylations and Diels-Alder reactions. As an example of the latter, the reaction proceeds at room temperature, with 1 mole% catalyst loading in an acetonitrile-water solvent mixture. The first step is a Knoevenagel condensation between the barbituric acid and the aldehyde; the second step is a reverse electron-demand Diels-Alder reaction, which is a multicomponent reaction of N,N'-dimethyl-barbituric acid, benzaldehyde and ethyl vinyl ether. With the catalyst, the reported chemical yield is 90% and the percentage trans isomer is 70%. Without the catalyst added, the yield drops to 65% with 50% trans product.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Indium(III) chloride

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Indium(III) chloride claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Indium(III) chloride before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Indium(III) chloride ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Indium(III) chloride

In research: Indium(III) chloride appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Indium(III) chloride in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Indium(III) chloride is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Chlorides, Indium halides, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Indium(III) chloride outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Indium(III) chloride in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Indium(III) chloride means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Indium(III) chloride out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Indium(III) chloride in simple terms?

Indium(III) chloride is the chemical compound with the formula InCl3 which forms a tetrahydrate. This salt is a white, flaky solid with applications in organic synthesis as a Lewis acid.

Why does Indium(III) chloride matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Indium(III) chloride?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Indium(III) chloride.