Uses
Niobium(V) chloride is the main precursor to the alkoxides of niobium, which find niche uses in sol-gel processing. It is also the precursor to many other laboratory reagents.
In organic synthesis, NbCl5 is a specialized Lewis acid in activating alkenes for the carbonyl-ene reaction and the Diels-Alder reaction. Niobium chloride can also generate N-acyliminium compounds from certain pyrrolidines which are substrates for nucleophiles such as allyltrimethylsilane, indole, or the silyl enol ether of benzophenone.
Read more about this topic: Niobium(V) Chloride