What is Cobalt chloride hexahydrate?

Cobalt chloride hexahydrate chemical formula for CoCl2-6H2O, the appearance of pink solid, hygroscopic, crystal structure for the monoclinic crystal system, melting point of 86 ° C, relative density of 1.924, easily soluble in water, soluble in ethanol, acetone and ether. It is one of the most commonly used cobalt compounds in the laboratory. Preparation of Cobalt Chloride HexahydrateCobalt chloride can be prepared in aqueous solution from cobalt(II) hydroxide or cobalt(II) carbonate and hydrochloric acid. The solid dihydrate and hexahydrate can be obtained by evaporation. CoCl2-6H2O can be used as reaction catalyst, paint drying agent, ammonia absorber, neutral dyes, desiccant, ceramic colouring agent, feed additives and so on. As a catalyst in organic synthesis, it can be used to prepare organic compounds such as bicoumarin derivatives and benzimidazole derivatives.

References:

[1] NAZARIFAR M. Cobalt(II) Chloride Hexahydrate as an Efficient and Inexpensive Catalyst for the Preparation of Biscoumarin Derivatives[C]. 2014. DOI:10.1155/2014/340786.

[2] A. KHAN  Lokman H C  Tasneem Parvin. A Simple and Convenient One-Pot Synthesis of Benzimidazole Derivatives Using Cobalt(II) Chloride Hexahydrate as Catalyst[J]. Synthetic Communications, 2009. DOI:10.1080/00397910802654815.