Cobalt(III) nitrate.

Chemical Properties

green hygroscopic, reacts vigorously with organic solvents [KIR79]

Preparation

Anhydrous Co(NO3)3 can be prepared as green hygroscopic crystals by the reaction of dinitrogen pentoxide on cobalt(III) fluoride.

Structure and conformation

It is volatile at fairly low temperatures (e.g. 40° and 10-2 mm Hg) and reacts vigorously with a range of organic solvents. A crystal structure determination shows the nitrate groups to be bidentate and the coordination around cobalt to be basically octahedral. All the Co-O bonds are equivalent, being 1.90±0.02 ?, but the O-Co-O angle for each bidentate ligand is only 68°.