In this article, we introduce and study the notion of Goldie dimension for C*-algebras. We prove that a C*-algebra A has Goldie dimension n if and only if the dimension of the center of its local multiplier algebra is n. In this case, A has finite-dimensional center and its primitive spectrum is extremally disconnected. If moreover, A is extending, we show that it decomposes into a direct sum of n prime C*-algebras. In particular, every stably finite, exact C*-algebra with Goldie dimension, that has the projection property and a strictly full element, admits a full projection and a non-zero densely defined lower semi-continuous trace. Finally we show that certain C*-algebras with Goldie dimension (not necessarily simple, separable or nuclear) are classifiable by the Elliott invariant.

The proofs of Theorem 2.2 of K. J. Dykema and M. Rørdam, Purely infinite simple ${{C}^{*}}$-algebras arising from free product constructions, Canad. J. Math. 50 (1998), 323–341 and of Theorem 3.1 of K J. Dykema, Purely infinite simple ${{C}^{*}}$-algebras arising from free product constructions, II, Math. Scand. 90 (2002), 73–86 are corrected.

We construct two non-isomorphic nuclear, stably finite, real rank zero ${{C}^{*}}$-algebras $E$ and ${{E}^{'}}$ for which there is an isomorphism of ordered groups $\Theta :{{\oplus }_{n\ge 0}}{{K}_{\bullet }}(E;\mathbb{Z}/n)\to {{\oplus }_{n\ge 0}}{{K}_{\bullet }}({E}';\mathbb{Z}/n)$ which is compatible with all the coefficient transformations. The ${{C}^{*}}$-algebras $E$ and ${{E}^{'}}$ are not isomorphic since there is no $\Theta$ as above which is also compatible with the Bockstein operations. By tensoring with Cuntz’s algebra ${{\mathcal{O}}_{\infty }}$ one obtains a pair of non-isomorphic, real rank zero, purely infinite ${{C}^{*}}$-algebras with similar properties.