AuCl3

Gold(III) chloride · Auric chloride

Gold(III) chloride is a stable, semiconducting gold halide widely utilized as a versatile catalyst and chemical precursor in synthetic chemistry.

AuCl
Crystal structure of AuCl3 (monoclinic, P21/c (No. 14))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Gold(III) chloride

Gold(III) chloride is a crystalline compound that serves as a vital precursor for the synthesis of various gold-containing materials. Its electronic character as a semiconductor and its position on the thermodynamic convex hull make it a robust and reliable reagent in chemical processes.

Due to its high reactivity and stability, this compound is widely employed in organic synthesis, particularly as a catalyst for promoting complex molecular transformations. It is frequently utilized in laboratory research to facilitate the functionalization of carbon-carbon bonds.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Gold(III) chloride, aggregated across 4 databases.

Band Gap

1.36 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
3 DFT sources

Structures

20
4 databases, 9 space groups
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for AuCl3, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
P21/c (No. 14)monoclinic1.360.0000-17.5844.52
Pm (No. 6)Monoclinic2.87
Cmcm (No. 63)Orthorhombic5.92
P21/m (No. 11)Monoclinic4.57
P21/m (No. 11)Monoclinic4.33
P21/m (No. 11)Monoclinic5.91
5.78
P21/m (No. 11)Monoclinic4.15
P-1 (No. 2)Triclinic2.88
Pm (No. 6)Monoclinic5.42
P1 (No. 1)Triclinic5.33
P21/c (No. 14)
Uses

Applications

Where Gold(III) chloride is used.

Organic synthesis catalystPrecursor for gold nanoparticlesChemical vapor depositionElectroplating
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Gold(III) chloride, answered from cross-validated data.

What is AuCl3?

Gold(III) chloride is a stable, semiconducting gold halide widely utilized as a versatile catalyst and chemical precursor in synthetic chemistry.

More questions
What is AuCl3 used for?
Gold(III) chloride (AuCl3) is used in organic synthesis catalyst, precursor for gold nanoparticles, chemical vapor deposition, and electroplating.
What is the band gap of AuCl3?
Gold(III) chloride (AuCl3) has a DFT-computed band gap of 1.36 eV across 20 reported structures.
Is AuCl3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a band gap up to 1.36 eV it is a semiconductor.
Is AuCl3 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Gold(III) chloride (AuCl3) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
What is the crystal structure of AuCl3?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of Gold(III) chloride (AuCl3) is monoclinic symmetry, space group P21/c (No. 14).
What is the density of AuCl3?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Gold(III) chloride (AuCl3) is 4.52 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of AuCl3 are known?
20 structures of AuCl3 are reported across 4 databases, spanning 9 distinct space groups.
What elements does AuCl3 contain?
Gold(III) chloride (AuCl3) contains Au and Cl (2 elements).
Where does the data for AuCl3 come from?
AuCl3 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, mpaloe, omat24, jarvis.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a primary gold halide, gold(III) chloride stands as a fundamental building block in inorganic chemistry, serving as the essential starting material for the synthesis of more complex gold-based catalysts and coordination complexes.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
  • mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.
  • omat24 — Data from OMat24 (Meta FAIR). Cite: Barroso-Luque et al., arXiv 2410.12771 (2024).
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (NIST). Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020).

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