Gold halides are compounds of
gold with the
halogens.
AuCl, AuBr, AuI are all crystalline solids with a structure containing linear zig-zag chains: ..-X-Au-X-Au-X-Au-X-... The X-Au-X angle is 180
o.
The triiodide does not exist. AuCl
3 readily forms out of the elements at temperatures below 254
oC. It is a volatile red solid. The volatile species is the dimmer Au
2Cl
6.