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Iron(III) chloride, also called ferric chloride, is an industrial scale commodity chemical compound, with the formula FeCl3 and with iron in the +3 oxidation state. The colour of iron(III) chloride crystals depends on the viewing angle: by reflected light the crystals appear dark green, but by transmitted light they appear purple-red. Anhydrous iron(III) chloride is deliquescent, forming hydrated hydrogen chloride mists in moist air. It is rarely observed in its natural form, the mineral molysite, known mainly from some fumaroles.

When dissolved in water, iron(III) chloride undergoes hydrolysis and gives off heat in an exothermic reaction. The resulting brown, acidic, and corrosive solution is used as a flocculant in sewage treatment and drinking water production, and as an etchant for copper-based metals in printed circuit boards. Anhydrous iron(III) chloride is a fairly strong Lewis acid, and it is used as a catalyst in organic synthesis.

Industrial uses
Iron(III) chloride is used in sewage treatment and drinking water production. In this application, FeCl3 in slightly basic water reacts with the hydroxide ion to form a floc of iron(III) hydroxide, or more precisely formulated as FeO(OH)−, that can remove suspended materials.

It is also used as a leaching agent in chloride hydrometallurgy, for example in the production of Si from FeSi (Silgrain process).

Another important application of iron(III) chloride is etching copper in two-step redox reaction to copper(I) chloride and then to copper(II) chloride in the production of printed circuit boards.

Iron(III) chloride is used as catalyst for the reaction of ethylene with chlorine, forming ethylene dichloride (1,2-dichloroethane), an important commodity chemical, which is mainly used for the industrial production of vinyl chloride, the monomer for making PVC.

Laboratory use

In the laboratory iron(III) chloride is commonly employed as a Lewis acid for catalysing reactions such as chlorination of aromatic compounds and Friedel–Crafts reaction of aromatics.[citation needed] It is less powerful than aluminium chloride, but in some cases this mildness leads to higher yields, for example in the alkylation of benzene:

Other uses

Used in anhydrous form as a drying reagent in certain reactions.
Used to detect the presence of phenol compounds in organic synthesis; e.g., examining purity of synthesised Aspirin.
Used in water and wastewater treatment to precipitate phosphate as iron(III) phosphate.

Used by American coin collectors to identify the dates of Buffalo nickels that are so badly worn that the date is no longer visible.

Used by bladesmiths and artisans in pattern welding to etch the metal, giving it a contrasting effect, to view metal layering or imperfections.

Used to etch the widmanstatten pattern in iron meteorites.
Necessary for the etching of photogravure plates for printing photographic and fine art images in intaglio and for etching rotogravure cylinders used in the printing industry.

Used to make printed circuit boards (PCBs).

Used in veterinary practice to treat overcropping of an animal's claws, particularly when the overcropping results in bleeding.

Reacts with cyclopentadienylmagnesium bromide in one preparation of ferrocene, a metal-sandwich complex.[
Sometimes used in a technique of Raku ware firing, the iron coloring a pottery piece shades of pink, brown, and orange.
Used to test the pitting and crevice corrosion resistance of stainless steels and other alloys.

Used in conjunction with NaI in acetonitrile to mildly reduce organic azides to primary amines.

Used in an animal thrombosis model.

Used in energy storage systems

Historically it was used to make direct positive blueprints.

A component of modified Carnoy's solution used for surgical treatment of keratocystic odontogenic tumor (KOT)