Sulfur tetrachloride

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Sulfur tetrachloride
Sulfur tetrachloride.svg
Names
IUPAC name
Sulfur(IV) chloride
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ECHA InfoCard 100.149.178 OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
PubChem CID
  • InChI=1/Cl4S/c1-5(2,3)4
  • ClS(Cl)(Cl)Cl
Properties
SCl4
Molar mass 173.87
AppearanceWhite powder
Melting point −31 °C (−24 °F; 242 K)
Boiling point −20 °C (−4 °F; 253 K) (decomposes)
soluble in water
Hazards
GHS labelling:
GHS-pictogram-acid.svg GHS-pictogram-pollu.svg
Danger
H314, H400
P260, P264, P273, P280, P301+P330+P331, P303+P361+P353, P304+P340, P305+P351+P338, P310, P321, P363, P391, P405, P501
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).

Sulfur tetrachloride is an inorganic compound with chemical formula SCl4. It has only been obtained as an unstable pale yellow solid. The corresponding SF4 is a stable, useful reagent.

Contents

Preparation and structure

It is obtained by treating sulfur dichloride with chlorine at 193 K:

SCl2 + Cl2 → SCl4

It melts with simultaneous decomposition above −20 °C. [1]

Its solid structure is uncertain. It is probably the salt SCl3+Cl, since related salts are known with noncoordinating anions. [2] [3] In contrast to this tetrachloride, SF4 is a neutral molecule. [4]

Reactions

It decomposes above −30 °C (242 K) to sulfur dichloride and chlorine.

SCl4 → SCl2 + Cl2

It hydrolyzes readily:

SCl4 + H2O → SOCl2 + 2 HCl

Sulfur tetrachloride reacts with water, producing hydrogen chloride and sulfur dioxide through the hydrolysis process. Thionyl chloride is an implied intermediate. [5]

SCl4 + 2 H2O → SO2 + 4 HCl

It can be oxidized by nitric acid:

SCl4 + 2 HNO3 + 2 H2O → H2SO4 + 2 NO2↑ + 4 HCl

Related Research Articles

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Zinc chloride is an inorganic chemical compound with the formula ZnCl2·nH2O, with n ranging from 0 to 4.5, forming hydrates. Zinc chloride, anhydrous and its hydrates, are colorless or white crystalline solids, and are highly soluble in water. Five hydrates of zinc chloride are known, as well as four forms of anhydrous zinc chloride.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Titanium tetrachloride</span> Inorganic chemical compound

Titanium tetrachloride is the inorganic compound with the formula TiCl4. It is an important intermediate in the production of titanium metal and the pigment titanium dioxide. TiCl4 is a volatile liquid. Upon contact with humid air, it forms thick clouds of titanium dioxide and hydrochloric acid, a reaction that was formerly exploited for use in smoke machines. It is sometimes referred to as "tickle" or "tickle 4", as a phonetic representation of the symbols of its molecular formula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manganese(II) chloride</span> Chemical compound

Manganese(II) chloride is the dichloride salt of manganese, MnCl2. This inorganic chemical exists in the anhydrous form, as well as the dihydrate (MnCl2·2H2O) and tetrahydrate (MnCl2·4H2O), with the tetrahydrate being the most common form. Like many Mn(II) species, these salts are pink, with the paleness of the color being characteristic of transition metal complexes with high spin d5 configurations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thionyl chloride</span> Inorganic compound (SOCl2)

Thionyl chloride is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula SOCl2. It is a moderately volatile, colourless liquid with an unpleasant acrid odour. Thionyl chloride is primarily used as a chlorinating reagent, with approximately 45,000 tonnes per year being produced during the early 1990s, but is occasionally also used as a solvent. It is toxic, reacts with water, and is also listed under the Chemical Weapons Convention as it may be used for the production of chemical weapons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhodium(III) chloride</span> Chemical compound

Rhodium(III) chloride refers to inorganic compounds with the formula RhCl3(H2O)n, where n varies from 0 to 3. These are diamagnetic red-brown solids. The soluble trihydrated (n = 3) salt is the usual compound of commerce. It is widely used to prepare compounds used in homogeneous catalysis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sulfuryl chloride</span> Chemical compound

Sulfuryl chloride is an inorganic compound with the formula SO2Cl2. At room temperature, it is a colorless liquid with a pungent odor. Sulfuryl chloride is not found in nature, as can be inferred from its rapid hydrolysis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruthenium(III) chloride</span> Chemical compound

Ruthenium(III) chloride is the chemical compound with the formula RuCl3. "Ruthenium(III) chloride" more commonly refers to the hydrate RuCl3·xH2O. Both the anhydrous and hydrated species are dark brown or black solids. The hydrate, with a varying proportion of water of crystallization, often approximating to a trihydrate, is a commonly used starting material in ruthenium chemistry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sulfur dichloride</span> Chemical compound

Sulfur dichloride is the chemical compound with the formula SCl2. This cherry-red liquid is the simplest sulfur chloride and one of the most common, and it is used as a precursor to organosulfur compounds. It is a highly corrosive and toxic substance, and it reacts on contact with water to form chlorine-containing acids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tellurium tetrachloride</span> Chemical compound

Tellurium tetrachloride is the inorganic compound with the empirical formula TeCl4. The compound is volatile, subliming at 200 °C at 0.1 mmHg. Molten TeCl4 is ionic, dissociating into TeCl3+ and Te2Cl102−.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disulfur dichloride</span> Chemical compound

Disulfur dichloride is the inorganic compound of sulfur and chlorine with the formula S2Cl2. It is an amber oily liquid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Platinum(IV) chloride</span> Chemical compound

Platinum(IV) chloride is the inorganic compound of platinum and chlorine with the empirical formula PtCl4. This brown solid features platinum in the 4+ oxidation state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bismuth chloride</span> Chemical compound

Bismuth chloride (or butter of bismuth) is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula BiCl3. It is a covalent compound and is the common source of the Bi3+ ion. In the gas phase and in the crystal, the species adopts a pyramidal structure, in accord with VSEPR theory.

Trirhenium nonachloride is a compound with the formula ReCl3, sometimes also written Re3Cl9. It is a dark red hygroscopic solid that is insoluble in ordinary solvents. The compound is important in the history of inorganic chemistry as an early example of a cluster compound with metal-metal bonds. It is used as a starting material for synthesis of other rhenium complexes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thulium(III) chloride</span> Chemical compound

Thulium(III) chloride or thulium trichloride is as an inorganic salt composed of thulium and chlorine with the formula TmCl3. It forms yellow crystals. Thulium(III) chloride has the YCl3 (AlCl3) layer structure with octahedral thulium ions. It has been used as a starting material for some exotic nanostructures prepared for NIR photocatalysis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Osmium(IV) chloride</span> Chemical compound

Osmium(IV) chloride or osmium tetrachloride is the inorganic compound composed of osmium and chlorine with the empirical formula OsCl4. It exists in two polymorphs (crystalline forms). The compound is used to prepare other osmium complexes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selenium tetrachloride</span> Chemical compound

Selenium tetrachloride is the inorganic compound composed with the formula SeCl4. This compound exists as yellow to white volatile solid. It is one of two commonly available selenium chlorides, the other example being selenium monochloride, Se2Cl2. SeCl4 is used in the synthesis of other selenium compounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Germanium dichloride</span> Chemical compound

Germanium dichloride is a chemical compound of germanium and chlorine with the formula GeCl2. It is a yellow solid. Germanium dichloride is an example of a compound featuring germanium in the +2 oxidation state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lead(IV) chloride</span> Chemical compound

Lead tetrachloride, also known as lead(IV) chloride, has the molecular formula PbCl4. It is a yellow, oily liquid which is stable below 0 °C, and decomposes at 50 °C. It has a tetrahedral configuration, with lead as the central atom. The Pb–Cl covalent bonds have been measured to be 247 pm and the bond energy is 243 kJ⋅mol−1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protactinium(IV) chloride</span> Chemical compound

Protactinium(IV) chloride is an inorganic compound. It is an actinide halide, a salt composed of protactinium and chlorine. It is radioactive, and has the chemical formula of PaCl4. It is a chartreuse-coloured (yellowish-green) crystal of the tetragonal crystal system.

References

  1. Georg Brauer: Handbuch der Präparativen Anorganischen Chemie. (in German)
  2. Greenwood, Norman N.; Earnshaw, Alan (1997). Chemistry of the Elements (2nd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN   978-0-08-037941-8.
  3. Christian, Beverly H.; Collins, Michael J.; Gillespie, Ronald J.; Sawyer, Jeffery F. (1986). "Preparations, Raman spectra, and crystal structures of (SCl3)(SbCl6), (SeCl3)(SbCl6), (SBr1.2Cl1.8)(SbCl6), (TeCl3)(AlCl4) (Triclinic modification), (TeCl3)(SbF6), (TeCl3)(AsF6), and (TeF3)2(SO4)". Inorganic Chemistry. 25 (6): 777–788. doi:10.1021/ic00226a012.
  4. Goettel, James T.; Kostiuk, Nathan; Gerken, Michael (2013). "The Solid-State Structure of SF4: The Final Piece of the Puzzle". Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 52 (31): 8037–8040. doi:10.1002/anie.201302917. PMID   23784951.
  5. Holleman-Wiberg, Lehrbuch der Anorganischen Chemie, 101. Auflage, de Gruyter Verlag 1995 ISBN   3-11-012641-9 (in German)