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.
Preparation and structure It is obtained by treating sulfur dichloride with chlorine 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 anions. In contrast to this tetrachloride, SF4 is a neutral molecule.
Reactions It decomposes above −30 °C (242 K) to sulfur dichloride and chlorine.
It hydrolyzes readily:
Sulfur tetrachloride reacts with water, producing hydrogen chloride and sulfur dioxide through the hydrolysis process. Thionyl chloride is an implied intermediate.Holleman-Wiberg, Lehrbuch der Anorganischen Chemie, 101. Auflage, de Gruyter Verlag 1995
It can be oxidized by nitric acid:
References