Hexaaquairon(III) perchlorate trihydrate

Abstract

A single crystal of commercially available `iron(III) perchlorate hexahydrate' has been structurally characterized and shown to be hexaaquairon(III) tris(perchlorate) trihydrate, [Fe(H2O)6](ClO4)3·3H2O. The structure contains [Fe(H2O)6]3+ complex ions, charge-balancing perchlorate ions and three water molecules of crystallization per Fe atom. A network of O—H...O hydrogen bonds helps to stabilize the crystal packing. Fe, Cl and one water O atom occupy special positions with site symmetries \overline{3}, 2, and 2, respectively.