Plutonium(III) bromide

Plutonium(III) bromide is an inorganic salt of bromine and plutonium with the formula PuBr₃. This radioactive green solid has few uses, however its crystal structure is often used as a structural archetype in crystallography.

Plutonium(III) bromide

Names
IUPAC name Plutonium tribromide
Other names Plutonium(III) bromide
Identifiers
CAS Number	15752-46-2 20737-00-2 hexahydrate
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image
ChemSpider	129557993
InChI InChI=1S/3BrH.Pu/h3*1H;/q;;;+3/p-3 Key: ZOUHELNKIRPXTH-UHFFFAOYSA-K
SMILES [Br-].[Br-].[Br-].[Pu+3]
Properties
Chemical formula	Br3Pu
Molar mass	484 g·mol−1
Appearance	Green[1]
Melting point	767 °C (1,413 °F; 1,040 K)[1]
Boiling point	1,463 °C (2,665 °F; 1,736 K)
Solubility in water	Water soluble
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). Infobox references

Crystal structure

Crystal structure

Unit cell

PuBr₃:   Pu³⁺   Br⁻

The PuBr₃ crystal structure was first published in 1948 by William Houlder Zachariasen.^[2] The compound forms orthorhombic crystals, a type of square antiprism, within which the Pu atoms adopt an 8-coordinate bicapped trigonal prismatic arrangement. Its Pearson symbol is oS16 with the corresponding space group No. 63 (in International Union of Crystallography classification) or Cmcm (in Hermann–Mauguin notation). The majority of trivalent chloride and bromide salts of lanthanide and actinides crystallise in the PuBr₃ structure.