K2Cr2O7
Potassium dichromate · Dichromate of potash, Red potassium chromate
Potassium dichromate is a stable, semiconducting inorganic salt commonly utilized as a strong oxidizing agent in industrial and laboratory applications.

About Potassium dichromate
Potassium dichromate is a well-characterized inorganic compound that exists as a thermodynamically stable solid. Its semiconducting electronic nature and robust structural profile have made it a subject of extensive research, with numerous documented structural configurations available in materials databases.
This compound serves as a vital reagent in various chemical processes, particularly where strong oxidation is required. Its stability and predictable reactivity patterns allow it to function effectively in laboratory settings and industrial manufacturing, where it is often employed for its specific chemical properties.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for Potassium dichromate, aggregated across 4 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 K2Cr2O7, 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C2/c (No. 15) | monoclinic | 2.76 | 0.0000 | -7.037 | 2.77 |
| P-1 (No. 2) | triclinic | 2.71 | 0.0010 | -7.036 | 2.73 |
| C2/m (No. 12) | monoclinic | 2.53 | 0.0706 | -6.966 | 2.23 |
| C2/m (No. 12) | monoclinic | 1.49 | 0.5420 | -6.495 | 2.28 |
| No. 0 | unknown | — | — | — | 1.35 |
| C2/c (No. 15) | — | — | — | — | — |
| C2/c (No. 15) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 2.50 |
| C2/m (No. 12) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 2.23 |
| C2/m (No. 12) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 2.39 |
| C2/c (No. 15) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 2.55 |
| C2/c (No. 15) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 2.68 |
| C2/m (No. 12) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 2.27 |
Applications
Where Potassium dichromate is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Potassium dichromate, answered from cross-validated data.
What is K2Cr2O7?
Potassium dichromate is a stable, semiconducting inorganic salt commonly utilized as a strong oxidizing agent in industrial and laboratory applications.
What is K2Cr2O7 used for?
What is the band gap of K2Cr2O7?
Is K2Cr2O7 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is K2Cr2O7 thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of K2Cr2O7?
What is the density of K2Cr2O7?
How many polymorphs of K2Cr2O7 are known?
What elements does K2Cr2O7 contain?
Where does the data for K2Cr2O7 come from?
How It Compares
As a prominent inorganic dichromate, this compound serves as a benchmark for the reactivity and stability of hexavalent chromium salts. It occupies a central role in the study of chromium-based compounds, providing a stable reference point for understanding the behavior of similar ionic oxides in diverse chemical environments.
Data sources & attribution
- materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
- cod — Data from the Crystallography Open Database. Cite: Grazulis et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 40, D420 (2012).
- jarvis — Data from JARVIS (NIST). Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020).
- mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.
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