Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 26, 2026

Praseodymium diiodide

Praseodymium diiodide is a chemical compound with the empirical formula of PrI2, consisting of praseodymium and iodine. It is an electride, with the ionic formula of Pr3+(I−)2e−, and therefore not a true praseodymium(II) compound.

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Praseodymium diiodide
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Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
  • InChI=1S/2I.Pr
    Key: MOULFFIZRHFNND-UHFFFAOYSA-N
  • [I].[I].[Pr]
Properties
I2Pr
Molar mass 394.71660 g·mol−1
Appearance bronze solid12
Melting point 758 °C12
Related compounds
Other cations
Lanthanum(II) iodide
Cerium(II) iodide
Neodymium(II) iodide
Related compounds
Praseodymium(III) iodide
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).

Praseodymium diiodide is a chemical compound with the empirical formula of PrI2, consisting of praseodymium and iodine. It is an electride, with the ionic formula of Pr3+(I)2e,2 and therefore not a true praseodymium(II) compound.

Preparation

Praseodymium diiodide can be obtained by reacting praseodymium(III) iodide with metallic praseodymium at 800 °C to 900 °C in an inert atmosphere:3

Pr + 2 PrI3 → 3 PrI2

It can also be obtained by reacting praseodymium with mercury(II) iodide where praseodymium displaces mercury:3

Pr + HgI2 → PrI2 + Hg

Praseodymium diiodide was first obtained by John D. Corbett in 1961.4

Properties

Praseodymium diiodide is an opaque, bronze-coloured solid with a metallic lustre that is soluble in water.3 The lustre and very high conductivity can be explained by the formulation {PrIII,2I,e}, with one electron per metal centre delocalised in a conduction band.2

The compound is extremely hygroscopic, and can only be stored and handled under carefully dried inert gas or under a high vacuum. In air it converts into hydrates by absorbing moisture, but these are unstable and more or less rapidly transform into oxide iodides with the evolution of hydrogen:

2 PrI2 + 2 H2O → 2 PrOI + H2↑ + 2 HI

With water, these processes take place much faster.3

Praseodymium diiodide has five crystal structures, namely the MoSi2 structure, the hexagonal MoS2 structure, the trigonal MoS2 structure, the cadmium chloride structure and the spinel structure.5 Praseodymium diiodide with the cadmium chloride structure belongs to the trigonal crystal system, with the space group R3m (No. 166), lattice parameters a = 426.5 pm and c = 2247,1 pm; however, the spinel structure of praseodymium diiodide is cubic,6 with space group F43 (No. 216), and lattice parameter a = 1239.9 pm.7

References

References

  1. Haynes, William M. (2012). CRC handbook of chemistry and physics : a ready-reference book of chemical and physical data. Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC. p. 84. ISBN 978-1-4398-8049-4. OCLC 793213751.
  2. Greenwood, Norman N.; Earnshaw, Alan (1997). Chemistry of the Elements (2nd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann. p. 1240–1242. doi:10.1016/C2009-0-30414-6. ISBN 978-0-08-037941-8.
  3. hrsg. von Georg Brauer. Unter Mitarb. von M. Baudler (1975). Handbuch der präparativen anorganischen Chemie / 1 (in German). Stuttgart: Enke. p. 1081. ISBN 3-432-02328-6. OCLC 310719485.
  4. Meyer, G.; Naumann, Dieter; Wesemann, Lars (2006). Inorganic chemistry in focus. III. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. p. 45. ISBN 978-3-527-60993-2. OCLC 86225074.
  5. Riedel, Ralf; Alsfasser, Erwin (2007). Moderne anorganische Chemie : mit CD-ROM : [133 Tabellen] (in German). Berlin: Gruyter. p. 366. ISBN 978-3-11-019060-1. OCLC 237200027.
  6. Warkentin, E.; Bärnighausen, H. (1979). "Die Kristallstruktur von Praseodymdiiodid (Modifikation V)". Z. anorg. allg. Chem. 459: 187–200. doi:10.1002/zaac.19794590120.
  7. Gerlitzki, Niels; Meyer, Gerd; Mudring, Anja-Verena; Corbett, John D. (2004). "Praseodymium diiodide, PrI2, revisited by synthesis, structure determination and theory". J. Alloys Compd. 380 (1–2). Elsevier BV: 211–218. doi:10.1016/j.jallcom.2004.03.046. ISSN 0925-8388.