Iron oxychloride


Iron oxychloride is the inorganic compound with the formula FeOCl. This purple solid adopts a layered structure, akin to that of cadmium chloride. The material slowly hydrolyses in moist air. The solid intercalates electron donors such as tetrathiafulvalene and even pyridine to give mixed valence charge-transfer salts. Intercalation is accompanied by a marked increase in electrical conductivity and a color change to black.
FeOCl is prepared by heating iron oxide with ferric chloride at 370 °C over the course of several days: