Uranium(III) iodide


Uranium triiodide is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula UI3. It is a black solid that is soluble in water.

Production

Uranium triiodide can be obtained from the direct reaction of its constituent elements:
When the reaction is conducted in tetrahydrofuran, the product is the blue complex UI34.

Properties

It crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system in the space group Ccmm with the lattice parameters a = 432.8 pm, b = 1401.1 pm, and c = 1000.5 pm and four formula units per unit cell.
Uranium triiodide can be used as a Lewis acid catalyst for various Diels-Alder reactions carried out under mild conditions.