Germanium(IV) iodide is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula GeI₄.

Preparation

Germanium(IV) iodide can be obtained by the reaction of

germanium Germanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ge and atomic number 32. It is lustrous, hard-brittle, grayish-white and similar in appearance to silicon. It is a metalloid in the carbon group that is chemically similar to its group neighbors s ...

and

iodine Iodine is a chemical element with the symbol I and atomic number 53. The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists as a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid at standard conditions that melts to form a deep violet liquid at , and boils to a vi ...

or the reaction of germanium dioxide and 57%

hydriodic acid Hydroiodic acid (or hydriodic acid) is an aqueous solution of hydrogen iodide (HI). It is a strong acid, one that is ionized completely in an aqueous solution. It is colorless. Concentrated solutions are usually 48% to 57% HI. Reactions Hydr ...

: :

Chemical properties

Germanium(IV) iodide reacts with tetraalkyl tin at 250 °C to form R₂SnI₂ and R₂GeI₂ (R= Et, Bu, Ph). It reacts with germanium and sulfur at high temperatures to produce red GeSI₂ and orange Ge₂S₃I₂. It reacts with diiron nonacarbonyl in an ionic liquid (

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l/AlCl₃) at 130 °C to obtain Ge₁₂ e(CO)₃sub>8I₄. :

Physical properties

Germanium(IV) iodide is an orange-red crystalline solid that hydrolyzes in water. It is soluble in carbon disulfide and

benzene Benzene is an organic chemical compound with the molecular formula C6H6. The benzene molecule is composed of six carbon atoms joined in a planar ring with one hydrogen atom attached to each. Because it contains only carbon and hydrogen atoms, ...

, but less soluble in

carbon tetrachloride Carbon tetrachloride, also known by many other names (such as tetrachloromethane, also IUPAC nomenclature of inorganic chemistry, recognised by the IUPAC, carbon tet in the cleaning industry, Halon-104 in firefighting, and Refrigerant-10 in HVAC ...

and

chloroform Chloroform, or trichloromethane, is an organic compound with chemical formula, formula Carbon, CHydrogen, HChlorine, Cl3 and a common organic solvent. It is a colorless, strong-smelling, dense liquid produced on a large scale as a precursor to ...

. It begins to decompose into germanium(II) iodide and iodine above its melting point. Germanium(IV) iodide crystallizes in the cubic crystal system, space group ''Pa'' (space group no. 205), with the

lattice parameter A lattice constant or lattice parameter is one of the physical dimensions and angles that determine the geometry of the unit cells in a crystal lattice, and is proportional to the distance between atoms in the crystal. A simple cubic crystal has o ...

a = 11.89 Å. The crystal structure consists of tetrahedral GeI₄ molecules.

References

{{Iodides Germanium compounds Iodides