CoBr2

Cobalt(II) bromide · Cobaltous bromide

Cobalt(II) bromide is a stable, semiconducting inorganic salt widely utilized as a chemical catalyst and synthetic precursor.

BrCo
Crystal structure of CoBr2 (trigonal, P-3m1 (No. 164))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Cobalt(II) bromide

Cobalt(II) bromide is a thermodynamically stable inorganic compound that functions as a semiconductor. Its structural versatility is evidenced by the extensive number of reported crystal structures, making it a well-documented subject in solid-state chemistry and coordination science.

This material serves as a vital precursor in the synthesis of various cobalt-containing complexes and catalysts. Due to its stability and electronic properties, it is frequently employed in industrial chemical processes and as a fundamental building block in the development of specialized materials.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Cobalt(II) bromide, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

0.19–0.28 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: small gap

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Stable
3 DFT sources

Structures

69
3 databases, 15 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of CoBr2. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

0.87 / 1.00
Trust tier: high

Hull Spread

0.033 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

3
jarvis, materials_project, oqmd

Space Group Consensus

All match
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for CoBr2, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
P-3m1 (No. 164)trigonal0.110.0000-4.1374.67
P-3m1 (No. 164)trigonal0.000.0000-0.285—
——0.190.0326-0.500—
——0.280.0347-0.498—
——0.000.0444-0.488—
——0.000.1130-0.420—
——0.000.1165-0.416—
——0.000.1172-0.416—
——0.000.1599-0.373—
——0.000.1624-0.370—
——0.000.1838-0.349—
——0.000.3240-0.209—
Uses

Applications

Where Cobalt(II) bromide is used.

Chemical synthesis catalystPrecursor for cobalt complexesIndustrial chemical manufacturingMaterials science research
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Cobalt(II) bromide, answered from cross-validated data.

What is CoBr2?

Cobalt(II) bromide is a stable, semiconducting inorganic salt widely utilized as a chemical catalyst and synthetic precursor.

More questions
What is CoBr2 used for?
Cobalt(II) bromide (CoBr2) is used in chemical synthesis catalyst, precursor for cobalt complexes, industrial chemical manufacturing, and materials science research.
What is the band gap of CoBr2?
Cobalt(II) bromide (CoBr2) has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.19–0.28 eV across 69 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is CoBr2 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 0.28 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is CoBr2 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Cobalt(II) bromide (CoBr2) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. stable.
What is the crystal structure of CoBr2?
The reference structure of Cobalt(II) bromide (CoBr2) is trigonal symmetry, space group P-3m1 (No. 164).
What is the density of CoBr2?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Cobalt(II) bromide (CoBr2) is 4.67 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of CoBr2 are known?
69 structures of CoBr2 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 15 distinct space groups.
What elements does CoBr2 contain?
Cobalt(II) bromide (CoBr2) contains Br and Co (2 elements).
Where does the data for CoBr2 come from?
CoBr2 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, jarvis, oqmd, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a stable and well-characterized inorganic compound, cobalt(II) bromide occupies a central role in the study of transition metal halides. It serves as a benchmark for understanding the structural and electronic behavior of cobalt-based systems within the broader class of metal dihalides.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project (materialsproject.org). Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013). (CC-BY-4.0)
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (jarvis.nist.gov), NIST. Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020). (LicenseRef-US-Gov-PD)
  • oqmd — Data from the OQMD (oqmd.org). Cite: Saal et al., JOM 65, 1501 (2013); Kirklin et al., npj Comp. Mater. 1, 15010 (2015). (CC-BY-4.0)
  • mpaloe — Data from MP-ALOE. Cite: Kuner et al., npj Comput. Mater. (2025), doi:10.1038/s41524-025-01834-9.

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