A room-temperature molten salt has been prepared from AuCl3 and l-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (EMIC). At a ratio of 1 mol of AuCl3 to 2 mol of EMIC, the salt is a bright yellow-orange and shows Raman spectral features at 170, 328, and 352 cm(-1) indicating the presence of AuCl4-. Ab initio calculations indicate that a dinuclear Au2Cl7- species containing a bridging chlorine should be stable, but no such species has been observed.