Polyhalide salt formation: KICl4

[woelen]

This is a nice experiment, which shows formation of the special salt KICl4, which is a member of a whole class of very reactive and unstable salts (e.g. KI3, KIBr2, CsICl2, KICl4).

 

http://woelen.scheikunde.net/science/chem/exps/KIO3+HCl/index.html

 

You only need fairly common reagents, which are not that hard to obtain.

[budullewraagh]

wouldn't ICl3 react with acetone to form chloroform?

[woelen]

That might quite well be possible. I noticed a sweet smell from the brown liquid. I concluded that this is some chlorated hydrocarbon (the ones I have, have a sweet smell to me, CCl4, CHCl3, CH2Cl2, CHCl=CCl2), but I did not immediately conclude that it is CHCl3.