Indium(III) hydroxide explained

Indium(III) hydroxide is the chemical compound with the formula . Its prime use is as a precursor to indium(III) oxide, .^[1] It is sometimes found as the rare mineral dzhalindite.__TOC__

Structure

Indium(III) hydroxide has a cubic structure, space group Im3, a distorted structure.^{[2] [3]}

Preparation and reactions

Neutralizing a solution containing an salt such as indium nitrate or a solution of indium trichloride gives a white precipitate that on aging forms indium(III) hydroxide.^{[4] [5]} A thermal decomposition of freshly prepared shows the first step is the conversion of to cubic indium(III) hydroxide.^[4] The precipitation of indium hydroxide was a step in the separation of indium from zincblende ore by Reich and Richter, the discoverers of indium.^[6]

Indium(III) hydroxide is amphoteric, like gallium(III) hydroxide and aluminium hydroxide, but is much less acidic than gallium hydroxide,^[5] having a lower solubility in alkaline solutions than in acid solutions.^[7] It is for all intents and purposes a basic hydroxide.^[8]

Dissolving indium(III) hydroxide in strong alkali gives solutions that probably contain either four coordinate or .^[8]

Reaction with acetic acid or carboxylic acids is likely to give the basic acetate or carboxylate salt, e.g. .^[7]

At 10 MPa pressure and 250-400 °C, indium(III) hydroxide converts to indium oxide hydroxide (InO(OH)), which has a distorted rutile structure.^[5]

Rapid decompression of samples of indium(III) hydroxide compressed at 34 GPa causes decomposition, yielding some indium metal.^[9]

Laser ablation of indium(III) hydroxide gives indium(I) hydroxide (InOH), a bent molecule with an In-O-H angle of around 132° and an In-O bond length of 201.7 pm.^[10]

Notes and References

1. Book: The Group 13 Metals Aluminium, Gallium, Indium and Thallium: Chemical Patterns and Peculiarities . Simon Aldridge, Anthony J. Downs . Wiley . 2011 . 978-0-470-68191-6.
2. Hydrothermal Investigation of the systems In2O3-H2O-Na2O and In2O3-D2O-Na2O. The crystal structure of rhombohedral In₂O₃ and In(OH)₃ . A Norlund Christensen, N.C. Broch . Acta Chemica Scandinavica . 21 . 1967 . 1046–1056. 10.3891/acta.chem.scand.21-1046 . free .
3. Book: Wells A.F. . 1984 . Structural Inorganic Chemistry . 5th . Oxford Science Publications . 0-19-855370-6 .
4. Sato. T.. Preparation and thermal decomposition of indium hydroxide. Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry. 82. 3. 2005. 775–782. 1388-6150. 10.1007/s10973-005-0963-4. 195329927.
5. Book: Egon Wiberg, Arnold Frederick Holleman . 2001 . Inorganic Chemistry . Elsevier . 0123526515 .
6. Book: Advanced Inorganic Chemistry . I . 31st . 2008 . Krishna Prakashan Media . 9788187224037.
7. Book: The Aqueous Chemistry of the Elements . George K. Schweitzer, Lester L. Pesterfield . Oxford University Press . 2009 . 978-0195393354 .
8. Book: Chemistry of aluminium, gallium, indium, and thallium. Anthony John Downs. Springer. 1993. 0-7514-0103-X.
9. Gurlo. Aleksander. Dzivenko. Dmytro. Andrade. Miria. Riedel. Ralf. Lauterbach. Stefan. Kleebe. Hans-Joachim. Pressure-Induced Decomposition of Indium Hydroxide. Journal of the American Chemical Society. 132. 36. 2010. 12674–12678. 0002-7863. 10.1021/ja104278p. 20731389.
10. Lakin. Nicholas M.. Varberg. Thomas D.. Brown. John M.. The Detection of Lines in the Microwave Spectrum of Indium Hydroxide, InOH, and Its Isotopomers. Journal of Molecular Spectroscopy. 183. 1. 1997. 34–41. 0022-2852. 10.1006/jmsp.1996.7237. 1997JMoSp.183...34L.