Sulfur dichloride is the
chemical compound
A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element ...
with the
formula
In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a ''chemical formula''. The informal use of the term ''formula'' in science refers to the general construct of a relationship betwe ...
. 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.
Chlorination of sulfur
is produced by the chlorination of either elemental
sulfur
Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formul ...
or
disulfur dichloride
Disulfur dichloride is the inorganic compound of sulfur and chlorine with the formula S2Cl2.
Some alternative names for this compound are ''sulfur monochloride'' (the name implied by its empirical formula, SCl), ''disulphur dichloride'' (Britis ...
. The process occurs in a series of steps, some of which are:
:; ''ΔH'' = −58.2 kJ/mol
:; ''ΔH'' = −40.6 kJ/mol
The addition of
to has been proposed to proceed via a
mixed valence intermediate . undergoes even further chlorination to give
, but this species is unstable at near room temperature. It is likely that several exist where ''n'' > 2.
Disulfur dichloride
Disulfur dichloride is the inorganic compound of sulfur and chlorine with the formula S2Cl2.
Some alternative names for this compound are ''sulfur monochloride'' (the name implied by its empirical formula, SCl), ''disulphur dichloride'' (Britis ...
, , is the most common impurity in . Separation of from is possible via distillation with
to form an
azeotrope of 99% purity, however sulfur dichloride loses chlorine slowly at room temperature and reverts to disulfur dichloride. Pure samples may be stored in sealed glass
ampules which develop a slight positive pressure of chlorine, halting the decomposition.
Use of in chemical synthesis
is used In
organic synthesis
Organic synthesis is a special branch of chemical synthesis and is concerned with the intentional construction of organic compounds. Organic molecules are often more complex than inorganic compounds, and their synthesis has developed into one o ...
. It adds to
alkenes
In organic chemistry, an alkene is a hydrocarbon containing a carbon–carbon double bond.
Alkene is often used as synonym of olefin, that is, any hydrocarbon containing one or more double bonds.H. Stephen Stoker (2015): General, Organic, a ...
to give chloride-substituted thioethers. Illustrative applications are its addition to
1,5-cyclooctadiene
Cycloocta-1,5-diene is a cyclic hydrocarbon with the chemical formula , specifically .
There are three configurational isomers with this structure, that differ by the arrangement of the four C–C single bonds adjacent to the double bonds. Eac ...
to give a bicyclic
thioether and
ethylene
Ethylene (IUPAC name: ethene) is a hydrocarbon which has the formula or . It is a colourless, flammable gas with a faint "sweet and musky" odour when pure. It is the simplest alkene (a hydrocarbon with carbon-carbon double bonds).
Ethylene ...
to give
sulfur mustard
Mustard gas or sulfur mustard is a chemical compound belonging to a family of cytotoxic and blister agents known as mustard agents. The name ''mustard gas'' is technically incorrect: the substance, when dispersed, is often not actually a gas, ...
.
[R. J. Cremlyn “An Introduction to Organosulfur Chemistry” John Wiley and Sons: Chichester (1996). .]
is also a precursor to several inorganic sulfur compounds. Treatment with fluoride salts gives
via the decomposition of the intermediate
sulfur difluoride. With , reacts to give "lower" sulfanes such as .
Reaction with ammonia affords sulfur nitrides related to
. Treatment of with primary amines gives
sulfur diimides. One example is di-''t''-butylsulfurdiimide.
Safety considerations
hydrolyzes
Hydrolysis (; ) is any chemical reaction in which a molecule of water breaks one or more chemical bonds. The term is used broadly for substitution, elimination, and solvation reactions in which water is the nucleophile.
Biological hydrolysis ...
with release of
HCl HCL may refer to:
Science and medicine
* Hairy cell leukemia, an uncommon and slowly progressing B cell leukemia
* Harvard Cyclotron Laboratory, from 1961 to 2002, a proton accelerator used for research and development
* Hollow-cathode lamp, a s ...
. Old samples contain .
References
{{Chlorides
Sulfur chlorides
Sulfur(II) compounds