Tin(IV) chloride

Anhydrous (without water in chemical structure) liquid form

Hydrated (with water in chemical structure) solid form

Tin(IV) chloride, also known as stannic chloride or tin dioxide, is a chemical compound. Its chemical formula is SnCl₄. It contains tin and chloride ions. The tin is in its +4 oxidation state.

Properties

It is a corrosive liquid (anhydrous) or solid (hydrated). It makes hydrochloric acid fumes which irritate the nose. It reacts with strong bases to make tin(IV) oxide hydrate. It also reacts with hydrochloric acid to make the SnCl₆^2- ion.

Preparation

It is made by reacting tin with chlorine.

Sn + 2 Cl₂ → SnCl₄

Uses

It was used in World War I to create irritating clouds of smoke. It is also used to make tin(IV) fluoride. It is also used to make organic compounds that have tin in them.

Tin(IV) Chloride Media

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  Polyhedral diagram of part of the crystal structure of tin tetrachloride, SnCl4.*Colour code: * Tin, Sn: blue-grey * Chlorine, Cl: greenCrystal structure from Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem. (2000) 626, 925-929. Image generated in CrystalMaker 8.2

Related pages

• Tin(II) chloride
• Tin(IV) bromide
• Tin(IV) iodide