Lanthanum(III) sulfate
Chemical compound
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lanthanum(III) sulfate is an inorganic compound with the formula La2(SO4)3·xH2O (0 ≤ x ≤ 9). It forms various hydrates, the most common one being the nonahydrate, which are all white solids. It is an intermediate in producing lanthanum from its ores.[4]
Nonahydrate | |
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Other names
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| Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol) |
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| ChemSpider | |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.030.204 |
| EC Number |
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PubChem CID |
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| UNII | |
| UN number | 4636PY459O |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
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| Properties | |
| La2(SO4)3 | |
| Molar mass | 566.00 g/mol |
| Appearance | White solid[1] |
| Density | 2.82 g/cm3 (nonahydrate) |
| Melting point | 775 °C (1,427 °F; 1,048 K)[2] (decomposition) |
| 2.7 g/100 mL (20 °C, nonahydrate)[1] | |
| Solubility | insoluble in ethanol[1] |
| Structure[3] | |
| hexagonal | |
| P63 | |
a = 11.01 Å, c = 8.08 Å | |
| Hazards | |
| GHS labelling: | |
| Warning | |
| H315, H319, H335 | |
| P261, P264, P264+P265, P271, P280, P302+P352, P304+P340, P305+P351+P338, P319, P321, P332+P317, P337+P317, P362+P364, P403+P233, P405, P501 | |
| NFPA 704 (fire diamond) | |
| Related compounds | |
Other anions |
Lanthanum(III) nitrate |
Other cations |
Cerium(III) sulfate |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Preparation and reactions
The nonahydrate is produced by dissolving lanthanum or lanthanum hydroxide in dilute sulfuric acid, then evaporating the solution:[5]
- 2 La + 3 H2SO4 → La2(SO4)3 + 3 H2
The anhydrous compound can be produced by heating the hydrates to 300 °C. If heated further, anhydrous lanthanum(III) sulfate decomposes to La2O2SO4 at 775 °C, which in turn decomposes to lanthanum(III) oxide at 1100 °C.[2]
Structure
The nonahydrate crystallizes in a hexagonal crystal system, which contains the lanthanum atoms in two different environments.[3]

