The reaction between iodine (I2) and aluminum chloride (AlCl3) is a single displacement reaction. In this type of reaction, one element replaces another element in a compound.
To predict the products, we need to determine the activity series for the elements involved. The more reactive element will replace the less reactive element in the compound.
In this case, iodine (I2) is more reactive than chlorine (Cl), so iodine will replace chlorine in aluminum chloride. The products of the reaction will be aluminum iodide (AlI3) and chlorine gas (Cl2).
The balanced chemical equation for the reaction is:
2 AlCl3 + 3 I2 β 2 AlI3 + 3 Cl2
In this balanced equation, we have 2 moles of aluminum chloride reacting with 3 moles of iodine to produce 2 moles of aluminum iodide and 3 moles of chlorine gas.