Molecular structure of bismuth trichloride from combined electron diffraction and vibrational spectroscopic study

Abstract

The results of an electron diffraction reanalysis, augmented with a combined electron diffraction and vibrational spectroscopic elucidation, of the molecular structure of BiCl3 are reported. The principal parameters arerg(Bi-Cl)=2.424±0.005 a (rα=2.417±0.005 a) and <αCl-Bi-Cl=97.5±0.2‡. They are in excellent agreement with previous electron diffraction analysis [1], utilizing a more limited data range from the same experiment. They are also fully consistent with the expected trends of geometrical variation in the Group V trihalide series. The force fields of BiCl3, determined by normal coordinate analysis and by combined analysis, agree within experimental error.