What is "aluminium chloride"

n. 1 (context inorganic compound English) AlCl, only exists in the gas phase when AlCl₃ is heated with aluminium. 2 (context inorganic compound English) AlCl₃, the aluminium salt of hydrochloric acid; forms the covalent dimer Al₂Cl₆ when melted; it has very many industrial applications, including that of a catalyst in Friedel-Crafts reactions.

n. a chloride used as a wood preservative or catalyst [syn: aluminum chloride]

Aluminium chloride (AlCl) is the main compound of aluminium and chlorine. It is white, but samples are often contaminated with iron trichloride, giving it a yellow colour. The solid has a low melting and boiling point. It is mainly produced and consumed in the production of aluminium metal, but large amounts are also used in other areas of chemical industry. The compound is often cited as a Lewis acid. It is an example of an inorganic compound that " cracks" at mild temperature, reversibly changing from a polymer to a monomer.

Supplementary data for aluminium chloride.