Protactinium(IV) chloride

Protactinium chloride is an inorganic compound. It is an actinide halide, a salt composed of protactinium and chlorine. It is radioactive, and has the chemical formula of PaCl₄. It is a chartreuse-coloured crystal of the tetragonal crystal system.

Preparation

Protactinium chloride can be prepared by the reduction of protactinium(V) chloride:
It can also be obtained by the chlorination of protactinium(IV) oxide:
It can also be formed during the thermal decomposition of protactinium oxychloride at 500 °C in a vacuum:

Properties

Protactinium chloride is a chartreuse, hygroscopic, crystalline solid that can be sublimed at 400 °C in a vacuum. It is soluble in strong mineral acids, forming green solutions. The complex PaCl₄·4CH₃CN is formed with acetonitrile. It has a tetragonal crystal structure with the space group I4₁/amd and the lattice parameters a = 837.7 pm, c = 747.9 pm of the uranium(IV) chloride type.