heavy, colorless liquid with a strong odor; fumes in air; decomposed by light and heat; used in making cryst-violet type coloring agents and as a poison gas [HAW93]
Purification Methods
Purify it by distillation from Hg and from powdered Sb to remove free bromine, then distil it in a slight vacuum to remove volatile SO2 (the major impurity) [Carpenter et al. J Chem Soc, Faraday Trans 2 384 1977]. TOXIC.
