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Ytterbium(III) chloride (YbCl3) is a white powdery monoclinic crystals. It reacts with NiCl2 to form a very effective catalyst for the reductive dehalogenation of aryl halides. It is used in catalysis and as a NMR shift reagent in biology. It can also be used to track the digestion process in all animals.
Ytterbium(III) Chloride is a typical starting material for the production of Yb metal. It is also used a a source of Yb3+ ion for doping into laser host materials.

Used as laboratory reagent, optical glasses, structural ceramics, catalysts, electrical components and photo-optical material. Applied with NiCl2 to form a very effective catalyst for the reductive dehalogenation of aryl halides. Ytterbium(III) chloride is a powerful catalyst for the formation of acetals using trimethyl orthoformate and also used to track digestion in animals.

ChEBI: Ytterbium(III) chloride is the trichloride salt of ytterbium(III). It has a role as a NMR shift reagent. It contains a ytterbium(3+).

Anhydrous ytterbium(III) chloride can be produced by the ammonium chloride route. In the first step, ytterbium oxide is heated with ammonium chloride to produce the ammonium salt of the pentachloride:
Yb2O3 + 10NH4Cl → 2(NH4)2YbCl5 + 6H2O + 6NH3
In the second step, the ammonium chloride salt is converted to the trichlorides by heating in a vacuum at 350-400°C:
(NH4)2YbCl5 → YbCl3 + 2HCl + 2NH3