Tungsten(II) chloride is the inorganic compound with the formula W₆Cl₁₂. It is a

polymer A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic a ...

cluster compound In chemistry, an atom cluster (or simply cluster) is an ensemble of bound atoms or molecules that is intermediate in size between a simple molecule and a nanoparticle; that is, up to a few nanometers (nm) in diameter. The term ''microcluster' ...

. The material dissolves in concentrated

hydrochloric acid Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid, is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride. It is a colorless solution with a distinctive pungent smell. It is classified as a strong acid Acid strength is the tendency of an acid, symbol ...

, forming (H₃O)₂ ₆Cl₁₄H₂O)_x. Heating this salt gives yellow-brown W₆Cl₁₂. The structural chemistry resembles that observed for

molybdenum(II) chloride Molybdenum dichloride describes chemical compounds with the empirical formula MoCl2. At least two forms are known, and both have attracted much attention from academic researchers because of the unexpected structures seen for these compounds and t ...

. Tungsten(II) chloride is prepared by reduction of the hexachloride. Bismuth is a typical reductant: :6 WCl₆ + 8 Bi → W₆Cl₁₂ + 8 BiCl₃ :.

References

{{Chlorides Tungsten halides Chlorides Octahedral compounds