Cr2O3

Chromium(III) oxide · Chromia, Chrome green, Chromium sesquioxide

Chromium(III) oxide is a stable inorganic compound that appears as a vibrant green powder. It is widely valued for its exceptional durability and resistance to chemical degradation, making it a primary pigment and a key component in industrial surface treatments.

Crystal structure of Cr2O3 (trigonal, R-3c (No. 167))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Chromium(III) oxide, aggregated across 5 databases.

Band Gap

0.27–2.41 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
4 DFT sources

Structures

85
5 databases, 22 space groups
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for Cr2O3, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
R-3c (No. 167)trigonal0.000.0000-9.1975.17
Pbcn (No. 60)orthorhombic2.410.0383-9.1585.34
Ia-3 (No. 206)cubic1.830.0466-9.1505.05
R-3 (No. 148)trigonal0.000.0764-9.1204.86
Cmcm (No. 63)orthorhombic0.770.2998-8.8974.34
C2/c (No. 15)monoclinic1.220.3242-8.8723.53
P1 (No. 1)triclinic0.770.3617-8.8354.25
P1 (No. 1)triclinic0.610.3632-8.8334.26
P1 (No. 1)triclinic0.270.3635-8.8334.40
P1 (No. 1)triclinic0.710.3705-8.8264.30
P1 (No. 1)triclinic0.350.4070-8.7904.13
P1 (No. 1)triclinic0.520.4233-8.7734.28
Synthesis

Synthesis Routes

Literature-extracted synthesis procedures targeting Cr2O3.

Sol-Gel
Procedure available · ceder_solid_state
Sol-Gel
Procedure available · ceder_solid_state
Uses

Applications

Where Chromium(III) oxide is used.

Pigment for paints and coatingsAbrasive for polishing metalsCatalyst in industrial chemical synthesisRefractory material for high-temperature environmentsComponent in green glass and ceramic glazes
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Chromium(III) oxide, answered from cross-validated data.

What is Cr2O3?

Chromium(III) oxide is a stable inorganic compound that appears as a vibrant green powder. It is widely valued for its exceptional durability and resistance to chemical degradation, making it a primary pigment and a key component in industrial surface treatments.

More questions
What is Cr2O3 used for?
Chromium(III) oxide (Cr2O3) is used in pigment for paints and coatings, abrasive for polishing metals, catalyst in industrial chemical synthesis, refractory material for high-temperature environments, and component in green glass and ceramic glazes.
What is the band gap of Cr2O3?
Chromium(III) oxide (Cr2O3) has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.27–2.41 eV across 85 reported structures.
Is Cr2O3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a band gap up to 2.41 eV it is a semiconductor.
Is Cr2O3 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Chromium(III) oxide (Cr2O3) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
What is the crystal structure of Cr2O3?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of Chromium(III) oxide (Cr2O3) is trigonal symmetry, space group R-3c (No. 167).
What is the density of Cr2O3?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Chromium(III) oxide (Cr2O3) is 5.17 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of Cr2O3 are known?
85 structures of Cr2O3 are reported across 5 databases, spanning 22 distinct space groups.
How is Cr2O3 synthesized?
Literature-reported routes for Cr2O3 include sol-gel (2 procedures documented).
What elements does Cr2O3 contain?
Chromium(III) oxide (Cr2O3) contains Cr and O (2 elements).
Where does the data for Cr2O3 come from?
Cr2O3 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, mpaloe.
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Related Compounds

Other Spinel Oxide Catalysts in the database.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
  • mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.

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