Silver Bromate
Silver bromate is a chemical compound with the molecular formula AgBrO3. It is an ionic compound composed of silver cations (Ag+) and bromate anions (BrO3-). The compound is a white crystalline solid that is sparingly soluble in water.
Silver bromate can be prepared by reacting silver nitrate (AgNO3) with sodium bromate (NaBrO3) in aqueous solution:
AgNO3 + NaBrO3 → AgBrO3 + NaNO3
The reaction proceeds via a metathesis reaction, where the silver cation and bromate anion switch partners to form the silver bromate precipitate.
Silver bromate is a strong oxidizing agent and can react vigorously with reducing agents such as organic compounds or metals. It is also sensitive to light and will decompose slowly over time. Silver bromate has been used in analytical chemistry as a standard reagent for titrations and in photography as a sensitizer for emulsions.
In terms of its crystal structure, silver bromate belongs to the orthorhombic space group Pnma. The unit cell contains four formula units, with each silver cation coordinated to six oxygen atoms from three different bromate anions. The bromate anions are arranged in a distorted octahedral coordination geometry around the silver cation.