General Description
A white to yellowish-red, lumpy solid with a pungent odor.
Reactivity Profile
An acid. May catalyze organic reactions. Corrosive to metals. Solutions of aluminum bromide in dichloromethane should be kept cold as a potentially dangerous exothermic halide exchange reaction occurs on warming, [Acc. Chem. Res., 1986, 19(3), 78].
Health Hazard
CORROSIVE and/or TOXIC; inhalation, ingestion or contact (skin, eyes) with vapors, dusts or substance may cause severe injury, burns or death. Fire will produce irritating, corrosive and/or toxic gases. Reaction with water may generate much heat that will increase the concentration of fumes in the air. Contact with molten substance may cause severe burns to skin and eyes. Runoff from fire control or dilution water may cause pollution.
Fire Hazard
EXCEPT FOR ACETIC ANHYDRIDE (UN1715), THAT IS FLAMMABLE, some of these materials may burn, but none ignite readily. May ignite combustibles (wood, paper, oil, clothing, etc.). Substance will react with water (some violently), releasing corrosive and/or toxic gases and runoff. Flammable/toxic gases may accumulate in confined areas (basement, tanks, hopper/tank cars, etc.). Contact with metals may evolve flammable hydrogen gas. Containers may explode when heated or if contaminated with water. Substance may be transported in a molten form.
Chemical Properties
White Crystalline Powder
Physical properties
Colorless crystalline solid in anhydrous form; melts at 97.5°C; boils at 256°C;density 3.01 g/cm3 at 25°C; moisture sensitive, fumes in air; soluble in water (reacts violently in cold water, and decomposes in hot water, alcohols, acetone, hexane, benzene, nitrobenzene, carbon disulfide and many other organic sol_x0002_vents).
Hazard
The anhydrous form reacts violently with water; corrosive to skin.
Purification Methods
Reflux it and then distil it from pure aluminium chips in a stream of nitrogen into a flask containing more of the chips. It is then distilled under vacuum into ampoules [Tipper & Walker J Chem Soc 1352 1959]. Anhydrous conditions are essential, and the white to very light brown solid distillate can be broken into lumps in a dry-box (under nitrogen). It fumes in moist air. [Becher in Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry (Ed. Brauer) Academic Press Vol I p 812-813 1963.]
