ReCl3

Rhenium trichloride · Rhenium(III) chloride

Rhenium trichloride is a stable, semiconducting inorganic compound widely used as a precursor for the synthesis of other rhenium-containing materials.

ClRe
Crystal structure of ReCl3 (trigonal, R-3m (No. 166))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Rhenium trichloride

Rhenium trichloride is a thermodynamically stable compound that serves as a fundamental building block in the synthesis of various rhenium-based materials. Its semiconducting electronic character makes it a subject of interest for specialized chemical applications and fundamental materials research.

With a high degree of structural diversity reported across multiple databases, this material is well-documented in the scientific literature. Its stability ensures it remains a reliable starting point for researchers investigating complex inorganic frameworks and metal-cluster chemistry.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Rhenium trichloride, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

0.85–1.06 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: narrow gap

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Stable
3 DFT sources

Structures

42
3 databases, 12 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of ReCl3. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

1.00 / 1.00
Trust tier: high

Hull Spread

0.000 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 ReCl3, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
——1.060.0000-0.940—
R-3m (No. 166)trigonal0.970.0000-5.6314.41
R-3m (No. 166)trigonal0.850.0000-0.685—
——0.000.7247-0.216—
——0.001.68460.744—
——0.001.69080.750—
——0.001.90700.967—
P2/m (No. 10)monoclinic———6.15
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic———5.05
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic———6.57
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———5.75
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———8.67
Uses

Applications

Where Rhenium trichloride is used.

Chemical synthesis precursorCatalysis researchInorganic materials development
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Rhenium trichloride, answered from cross-validated data.

What is ReCl3?

Rhenium trichloride is a stable, semiconducting inorganic compound widely used as a precursor for the synthesis of other rhenium-containing materials.

More questions
What is ReCl3 used for?
Rhenium trichloride (ReCl3) is used in chemical synthesis precursor, catalysis research, and inorganic materials development.
What is the band gap of ReCl3?
Rhenium trichloride (ReCl3) has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.85–1.06 eV across 42 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is ReCl3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 1.06 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is ReCl3 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Rhenium trichloride (ReCl3) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. stable.
What is the crystal structure of ReCl3?
The reference structure of Rhenium trichloride (ReCl3) is trigonal symmetry, space group R-3m (No. 166).
What is the density of ReCl3?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Rhenium trichloride (ReCl3) is 4.41 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of ReCl3 are known?
42 structures of ReCl3 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 12 distinct space groups.
What elements does ReCl3 contain?
Rhenium trichloride (ReCl3) contains Cl and Re (2 elements).
Where does the data for ReCl3 come from?
ReCl3 data is cross-referenced from oqmd, materials_project, jarvis, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a primary rhenium halide, this compound serves as a critical reference point within its chemical class, providing a stable platform for understanding the electronic and structural behavior of transition metal chlorides.

Data sources & attribution
  • 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)
  • 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)
  • mpaloe — Data from MP-ALOE. Cite: Kuner et al., npj Comput. Mater. (2025), doi:10.1038/s41524-025-01834-9.

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