Niobium Chloride (NbCl5)-Powder

Characteristic




Niobium(V) chloride, also known as niobium pentachloride, is a yellow crystalline solid. It hydrolyzes in air, and samples are often contaminated with small amounts of NbOCl3. It is often used as a precursor to other compounds of niobium. 




Chemical formula：NbCl5

Molar mass：270.17 g/mol

Appearance：yellow monoclinic crystals  deliquescent

Density：2.75 g/cm3

Melting point：204.7 °C (400.5 °F; 477.8 K)

Boiling point：248.2 °C (478.8 °F; 521.3 K)

Solubility in water：decomposes

Solubility：HCl, chloroform, CCl4




Application




Niobium(V) chloride is the main precursor to the alkoxides of niobium, which find niche uses in sol-gel processing. It is also the precursor to many other laboratory reagents.




In organic synthesis, NbCl5 is a specialized Lewis acid in activating alkenes for the carbonyl-ene reaction and the Diels-Alder reaction. Niobium chloride can also generate N-acyliminium compounds from certain pyrrolidines which are substrates for nucleophiles such as allyltrimethylsilane, indole, or the silyl enol ether of benzophenone.