Silver chloride

Silver chloride
Identifiers
CAS number 7783-90-6 Y
ChemSpider 22967 Y
UNII MWB0804EO7 Y
ChEBI CHEBI:30341 Y
RTECS number VW3563000
Jmol-3D images Image 1
Properties
Molecular formula AgCl
Molar mass 143.32 g mol−1
Appearance White Solid
Density 5.56 g cm−3
Melting point

455 °C, 728 K, 851 °F

Boiling point

1547 °C, 1820 K, 2817 °F

Solubility in water 520 μg/100 g at 50 °C
Solubility insoluble in alcohol, dilute acid
soluble in ammonia, concentrated sulfuric acid, alkali cyanide, NH4CO3, KBr, sodium thiosulfate
Refractive index (nD) 2.071
Structure
Crystal structure halite
Thermochemistry
Std enthalpy of
formation
ΔfHo298
−127.01 kJ mol−1
Standard molar
entropy
So298
96.25 J mol−1 K−1
Hazards
MSDS Salt Lake Metals
NFPA 704
0
2
0
Related compounds
Other anions silver(I) fluoride, silver bromide, silver iodide
 Y (verify) (what is: Y/N?)
Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa)
Infobox references

Silver chloride is a chemical compound with the chemical formula Ag1+Cl1-. This white crystalline solid is well known for its low solubility in water (this behavior being reminiscent of the chlorides of Tl+ and Pb2+). Upon illumination or heating, silver chloride converts to silver (and chlorine), which is signalled by greyish or purplish coloration to some samples. AgCl occurs naturally as a mineral chlorargyrite.

Contents

Preparation

Silver chloride is easily synthesized by combining aqueous solutions of silver nitrate and sodium chloride.

AgNO3(aq) + NaCl(aq) → AgCl(s) + NaNO3(aq)

Structure and reactions

The solid adopts the fcc NaCl structure, in which each Ag+ ion is surrounded by an octahedron of six chloride ligands. AgF and AgBr crystallize similarly.[1] However, the crystallography depends on the condition of crystallization, primarily free silver ion concentration, as is shown on the pictures left (greyish tint and metallic lustre are due to partly reduced silver). AgCl dissolves in solutions containing ligands such as chloride, cyanide, triphenylphosphine, thiosulfate, thiocyanate and ammonia. Silver chloride reacts with these ligands according to the following illustrative equations:

AgCl(s) + Cl(aq) → AgCl2(aq)
AgCl(s) + 2S2O32−(aq) → [Ag(S2O3)2]3−(aq) + Cl(aq)
AgCl(s) + 2NH3(aq) → [Ag(NH3)2]+(aq) + Cl(aq)

Most complexes derived from AgCl are two-, three-, and, in rare cases, four-coordinate, adopting linear, trigonal planar, and tetrahedral coordination geometries, respectively.

Chemistry

In one of the most famous reactions in chemistry, addition of colorless aqueous silver nitrate to an equally colorless solution of sodium chloride produces an opaque white precipitate of AgCl:[2]

Ag+(aq) + Cl(aq) → AgCl(s)

This conversion is a common test for the presence of chloride in solution. Due to its conspicuousness it is easily used in titration, which gives the typical case of argentometry.

The solubility product, Ksp, for AgCl is 1.6 x 10−10, which indicates that one liter of water will dissolve 0.000013 moles (1.9 mg) of AgCl at room temperature. The chloride content of an aqueous solution can be determined quantitatively by weighing the precipitated AgCl, which conveniently is non-hygroscopic, since AgCl is one of the few transition metal chlorides that is unreactive toward water. Ions that interfere with this test are bromide and iodide, as well as a variety of ligands (see silver halide). For AgBr and AgI, the Ksp values are 5.2 x 10−13 and 8.3 x 10−17, respectively. The silver bromide (slightly yellowish white) and silver iodide (pale yellow) are also significantly more photosensitive than is AgCl.

AgCl quickly darkens on exposure to light by disintegrating into elemental chlorine and metallic silver. This reaction is used in photography and film.

Uses

References

  1. ^ Wells, A.F. (1984) Structural Inorganic Chemistry, Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19-855370-6.
  2. ^ More info on Chlorine test