Properties

Chemical

Chromium(III) chloride will react with bases to give chromium hydroxide.

Physical

Chromium(III) chloride is a purple (anhydrous) or dark green (hydrated) solid.

Availability

Chromium chloride is sold by chemical suppliers.

Preparation

Chromium chloride hexahydrate can be obtained by reacting chromium oxide, hydroxide or

plain chromium metal with conc. hydrochloric acid.

Chromium chloride anhydrous can be prepared by reacting chromates, chromium(III) oxide or

just chromium metal with hydrochloric acid in methanol.

A more energetic route involves the carbothermic chlorination of chromium(III) oxide between
650–800 °C.
Reacting chlorine gas with hot chromium metal will also give anhydrous CrCl3.

Heating chromium(III) chloride hexahydrate in air will cause some of it to oxidize, resulting in
CrCl3 contaminated with oxide and oxychloride. To obtain the anhydrous form from the
hexahydrate, you must heat the CrCl3 in the presence of a chlorine or chloride source, like
thionyl chloride or dry hydrogen chloride gas.