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Topic: Problem of the week - 26/03/2012  (Read 10671 times)

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Online Borek

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Problem of the week - 26/03/2012
« on: March 26, 2012, 08:03:35 AM »
One of many halogen compounds of a metal known for toxicity of its compounds (high enough to make it a poison of choice in many famous cases, both in fiction and real life) has a molar mass of 1030.3 g/mol.

What is the metal, what is the compound?
« Last Edit: March 26, 2012, 10:01:58 AM by Borek »
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Re: Problem of the week - 26/03/2012
« Reply #1 on: March 29, 2012, 08:09:38 AM »
No one interested in diophantine chemistry?
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Offline fledarmus

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Re: Problem of the week - 26/03/2012
« Reply #2 on: March 29, 2012, 09:51:02 AM »
You got me. The heaviest metal I can think of that has been deliberately used for poisoning is polonium, and even if PoI6 existed (which I am not sure of), that only gets to around 972. I'm not an inorganic chemist though - perhaps there is a dimetal halide that fits this description?

Offline DrCMS

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Re: Problem of the week - 26/03/2012
« Reply #3 on: March 29, 2012, 10:45:27 AM »
OsAt4 ?

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Re: Problem of the week - 26/03/2012
« Reply #4 on: March 29, 2012, 12:21:39 PM »
You don't need any fancy elements  ;D
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Offline fledarmus

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Re: Problem of the week - 26/03/2012
« Reply #5 on: March 29, 2012, 01:33:37 PM »
I'm assuming there is nothing in the halogen compound except the halogen and the metal?

Thallium, polonium, mercury, and lead are the metals I know have been used in poisonings. I can't find a sufficiently heavy halide for any of them, however. Cadmium and lead might be added to the list, although I don't know specifically of intentional poisonings with either of these, only accidental ones. Does this jog anybodies thought processes?

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Re: Problem of the week - 26/03/2012
« Reply #6 on: March 29, 2012, 02:14:45 PM »
I'm assuming there is nothing in the halogen compound except the halogen and the metal?

Yes, just a metal and halogen.
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Offline DrCMS

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Re: Problem of the week - 26/03/2012
« Reply #7 on: March 29, 2012, 08:14:01 PM »
Thallium Chloride Tl4Cl6 or TlI3TlIIICl6

Offline AWK

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Re: Problem of the week - 26/03/2012
« Reply #8 on: March 30, 2012, 01:35:06 AM »
Journal of Materials Science, vol. 18, issue 10, pp. 3087-3091
AWK

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Re: Problem of the week - 26/03/2012
« Reply #9 on: March 30, 2012, 05:03:52 AM »
Thallium Chloride Tl4Cl6 or TlI3TlIIICl6

Yes!

When I wrote about "diophantine chemistry" it was a hint - I checked (by brute force) that there are not many compounds fitting the description and having molar mass close to that listed. Of all other TlnXm type formulas the closest one to given molar mass is Tl3F22 with 1031.11 g/mol, but the formula doesn't look convincing ;) Similarly with other metals, and list of those I checked is very similar to the one posted by fledarmus.

Journal of Materials Science, vol. 18, issue 10, pp. 3087-3091

I found the compound in Physicochemical handbook published in 1962 in Poland by WNT, so it must be known for quite some time. I have a gut feeling it could be easily synthesized in 19th century.
« Last Edit: March 30, 2012, 05:18:45 AM by Borek »
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Offline fledarmus

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Re: Problem of the week - 26/03/2012
« Reply #10 on: March 30, 2012, 07:51:14 AM »
I even looked for that one! I missed the subscript when I checked the formula though...

Quote
Tl2Cl3
          This yellow compound is formulated TlI3 TlIIICl6.[7]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thallium_halides

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