PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF OSMIUM PENTACHLORIDE, A NEW BINARY CHLORIDE OF OSMIUM

Osmium pentachloride, a new binary chloride of osmium, has been prepared by the reaction of osmium hexafluoride with excess boron trichloride below room temperature. The pentachloride is isomorphous with rhenium pentachloride and has been characterized by X-ray methods, by infrared and UV-visible spectroscopy, and by magnetic and other physical procedures. Some reactions of the pentachloride are also reported in this paper. Reaction of osmium hexafluoride with carbon tetrachloride, known to be less effective than boron trichloride in halogen-exchange reactions, produces a nonstoichiometric product which probably contains several mixed halides of osmium. © 1979, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.