CrCl2
Chromium(II) chloride · Chromous chloride
Chromium(II) chloride is a white, crystalline inorganic compound that acts as a powerful reducing agent in chemical synthesis. It is frequently utilized in laboratory settings to facilitate specific organic transformations and as a precursor for the preparation of various chromium complexes.

Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for Chromium(II) chloride, aggregated across 3 databases.
Band GapEnergy needed to move an electron from the valence band to the conduction band. Lower or zero values tend to behave more metallic; larger gaps are more insulating or semiconducting.
Energy Above HullThermodynamic distance from the most stable set of competing phases. 0 eV/atom is on the convex hull; small positive values may still be experimentally accessible.
StabilityA plain-language summary of the best reported energy-above-hull result. It reflects whether the lowest-energy structure is on, near, or far from the stability hull.
StructuresCount of reported calculated crystal structures for this formula, including alternate polymorphs, source databases, and observed space groups.
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for CrCl2, ranked by energy above hull.
| Space GroupSymmetry classification of the crystal arrangement. The number is the international space-group index. | Crystal SystemBroad lattice family, such as cubic, tetragonal, monoclinic, or triclinic, derived from unit-cell symmetry. | Band Gap (eV)Electronic gap calculated for this specific reported structure, measured in electronvolts. | E above hull (eV/atom)Thermodynamic distance from the convex hull for this structure, normalized per atom. Lower is generally more stable. | E/atom (eV)Computed total energy normalized per atom. Use energy above hull, not this value alone, when comparing stability. | Density (g/cm³)Mass per relaxed crystal volume, reported in grams per cubic centimeter. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pnnm (No. 58) | orthorhombic | 0.71 | 0.0702 | -10.323 | 2.74 |
| P21 (No. 4) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 4.22 |
| P-1 (No. 2) | Triclinic | — | — | — | 2.79 |
| P-1 (No. 2) | Triclinic | — | — | — | 2.53 |
| Pnnm (No. 58) | Orthorhombic | — | — | — | 2.74 |
| C2/m (No. 12) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 4.47 |
| C2 (No. 5) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 3.30 |
| C2 (No. 5) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 2.94 |
| P21 (No. 4) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 3.25 |
| Pnnm (No. 58) | Orthorhombic | — | — | — | 2.78 |
| Pnnm (No. 58) | Orthorhombic | — | — | — | 2.80 |
| P21/m (No. 11) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 3.06 |
Applications
Where Chromium(II) chloride is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Chromium(II) chloride, answered from cross-validated data.
What is CrCl2?
Chromium(II) chloride is a white, crystalline inorganic compound that acts as a powerful reducing agent in chemical synthesis. It is frequently utilized in laboratory settings to facilitate specific organic transformations and as a precursor for the preparation of various chromium complexes.
What is CrCl2 used for?
What is the band gap of CrCl2?
Is CrCl2 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is CrCl2 thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of CrCl2?
What is the density of CrCl2?
How many polymorphs of CrCl2 are known?
What elements does CrCl2 contain?
Where does the data for CrCl2 come from?
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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