Iron(III) chloride occurs naturally as the mineral molysite. The compound is widely used to prepare a number of iron(III) salts. Also, it is applied in sewage and industrial waste treatment processes. It also is used in the manufacture of dyes, pigments and inks; as a chlorinating agent; and as a catalyst in chlorination reactions of aromatics.
Ferric chloride,FeCl3, is a brown crystalline solid and is soluble in water,alcohol,and glycerol. It is also known as anhydrous ferric chloride,ferric trichloride, Flores martis,and iron chloride. Ferric chloride is used as a coagulant for sewage and industrial wastes, as an oxidizing and chlorinating agent,as a disinfectant, in copper etching, and as amordant. In addition, this compound is employed in the ferric chloride test,which is used to assess the relative corrosion resistance of stainless and nickel-base alloys. The ferric chloride test has been shown to be an appropriate measure of the suitability of such alloys for service in paper mill bleach plants and seawater.
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