Sulfur tetrachloride is an

inorganic compound In chemistry, an inorganic compound is typically a chemical compound that lacks carbon–hydrogen bonds, that is, a compound that is not an organic compound. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as '' inorganic chemist ...

with

chemical formula In chemistry, a chemical formula is a way of presenting information about the chemical proportions of atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound or molecule, using chemical element symbols, numbers, and sometimes also other symbols, ...

SCl₄. It has only been obtained as an unstable pale yellow solid. The corresponding SF₄ is a stable, useful reagent.

Preparation and structure

It is obtained by treating

sulfur dichloride Sulfur dichloride is the chemical compound with the formula . 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, ...

with

chlorine Chlorine is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate betwee ...

at 193 K: It melts with simultaneous decomposition above −20 °C.Georg Brauer: ''Handbuch der Präparativen Anorganischen Chemie''. Its solid structure is uncertain. It is probably the salt SCl₃⁺Cl⁻, since related salts are known with

noncoordinating anion Anions that interact weakly with cations are termed non-coordinating anions, although a more accurate term is weakly coordinating anion. Non-coordinating anions are useful in studying the reactivity of electrophilic cations. They are commonly found ...

s. In contrast to this tetrachloride, SF₄ is a neutral molecule.Goettel, J. T., Kostiuk, N. and Gerken, M. (2013), ''The Solid-State Structure of SF₄: The Final Piece of the Puzzle'' . Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 52: 8037–8040.

Reactions

It decomposes above −30 °C (242 K) to

and chlorine. It hydrolyzes readily: Sulfur tetrachloride reacts with water, producing

hydrogen chloride The compound hydrogen chloride has the chemical formula and as such is a hydrogen halide. At room temperature, it is a colourless gas, which forms white fumes of hydrochloric acid upon contact with atmospheric water vapor. Hydrogen chloride ga ...

and

sulfur dioxide Sulfur dioxide (IUPAC-recommended spelling) or sulphur dioxide (traditional Commonwealth English) is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a toxic gas responsible for the odor of burnt matches. It is released naturally by volcanic activ ...

through the

hydrolysis Hydrolysis (; ) is any chemical reaction in which a molecule of water breaks one or more chemical bonds. The term is used broadly for substitution reaction, substitution, elimination reaction, elimination, and solvation reactions in which water ...

process. Thionyl chloride is an implied intermediate.Holleman-Wiberg, Lehrbuch der Anorganischen Chemie, 101. Auflage, de Gruyter Verlag 1995 * Oxidized by

nitric acid Nitric acid is the inorganic compound with the formula . It is a highly corrosive mineral acid. The compound is colorless, but older samples tend to be yellow cast due to decomposition into oxides of nitrogen. Most commercially available nitri ...

References

Sulfur chlorides Hypervalent molecules {{Inorganic-compound-stub