The spongy Ir thus produced reacts with chlorine at 650 °C to give iridium(III) chloride.

Both polymorphs have effectively the same anion lattice but differ in the octahedral interstices the iridium ions occupy.

Industrially, most iridium complexes are generated from ammonium hexachloroiridate or the related chloroiridic acid (H2IrCl6).

The trihydrate react with ammonia to form ammine complexes, such as pentaamminechloroiridium(III) chloride, formulated [IrCl(NH3)5]Cl2.

It also reacts with concentrated ammonium hydroxide at 150 °C to form the fully ammoniated complex, [Ir(NH3)6]Cl3.