Tetrachloromethane

Carbon tetrachloride

Names
IUPAC name Carbon tetrachloride, Tetrachloromethane
Other names Benziform, Benzinoform, Carbon chloride, Carbon tet, Freon-10, Refrigerant-10, Halon-104, Methane tetrachloride, Methyl tetrachloride, Perchloromethane, Tetraform, Tetrasol
Identifiers
CAS Number	56-23-5 Y
3D model (Jmol)	Interactive image
ChEBI	CHEBI:27385 Y
ChemSpider	5730 Y
ECHA InfoCard	100.000.239
EC Number	200-262-8
KEGG	C07561 Y
PubChem CID	5943
RTECS number	FG4900000
UNII	CL2T97X0V0 Y
UN number	1846
InChI InChI=1S/CCl4/c2-1(3,4)5 Y Key: VZGDMQKNWNREIO-UHFFFAOYSA-N Y InChI=1/CCl4/c2-1(3,4)5 Key: VZGDMQKNWNREIO-UHFFFAOYAV
SMILES ClC(Cl)(Cl)Cl
Properties
Chemical formula	CCl4
Molar mass	153.81 g·mol−1
Appearance	colourless liquid
Odor	ether-like odor
Density	1.5867 g cm−3 (liquid) 1.831 g cm−3 at −186 °C (solid) 1.809 g cm−3 at −80 °C (solid)
Melting point	−22.92 °C (−9.26 °F; 250.23 K)
Boiling point	76.72 °C (170.10 °F; 349.87 K)
Solubility in water	0.097 g/100 mL (0 °C) 0.081 g/100 mL (25 °C)
Solubility	soluble in alcohol, ether, chloroform, benzene, naphtha, CS2, formic acid
log P	2.64
Vapor pressure	11.94 kPa at 20 °C
Henry's law constant (kH)	2.76x10−2 atm-cu m/mol
Magnetic susceptibility (χ)	-66.60·10−6 cm3/mol
Refractive index (nD)	1.4607
Dipole moment	0 D
Structure
Crystal structure	Monoclinic
Coordination geometry	Tetragonal
Molecular shape	Tetrahedral
Dipole moment	0 D
Thermochemistry
Specific heat capacity (C)	132.6 J/mol K
Std molar entropy (So298)	214.42 J/mol K
Std enthalpy of formation (ΔfHo298)	-139.3 kJ/mol
Gibbs free energy (ΔfG˚)	-686 kJ/mol
Hazards
Safety data sheet	See: data page ICSC 0024
EU classification (DSD) (outdated)	T N
R-phrases (outdated)	R23/24/25, R40, R48/23, R59, R52/53
S-phrases (outdated)	(S1/2), S23, S36/37, S45, S59, S61
NFPA 704	0 3 0
Flash point	Non-flammable
Autoignition temperature	982 °C (1,800 °F; 1,255 K)
Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC):
LD50 (median dose)	2350 mg/kg
LC50 (median concentration)	5400 ppm (mammal) 8000 ppm (rat, 4 hr) 9526 ppm (mouse, 8 hr)
LCLo (lowest published)	1000 ppm (human) 20,000 ppm (guinea pig, 2 hr) 38,110 ppm (cat, 2 hr) 50,000 ppm (human, 5 min) 14,620 ppm (dog, 8 hr)
US health exposure limits (NIOSH):
PEL (Permissible)	TWA 10 ppm C 25 ppm 200 ppm (5-minute maximum peak in any 4 hours)
REL (Recommended)	Ca ST 2 ppm (12.6 mg/m3) [60-minute]
IDLH (Immediate danger)	200 ppm
Related compounds
Other cations	Silicon tetrachloride Germanium tetrachloride Tin tetrachloride Lead tetrachloride
Related chloromethanes	Chloromethane Dichloromethane Chloroform
Related compounds	Tetrafluoromethane Tetrabromomethane Tetraiodomethane
Supplementary data page
Structure and properties	Refractive index (n), Dielectric constant (εr), etc.
Thermodynamic data	Phase behaviour solid–liquid–gas
Spectral data	UV, IR, NMR, MS
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
Y  (what is YN ?)
Infobox references

1.831 g cm⁻³ at −186 °C (solid)
1.809 g cm⁻³ at −80 °C (solid)

Carbon tetrachloride, also known by many other names (the most notable being tetrachloromethane, also recognized by the IUPAC, carbon tet in the cleaning industry, Halon-104 in firefighting, and Refrigerant-10 in HVACR) is an organic compound with the chemical formula CCl₄. It was formerly widely used in fire extinguishers, as a precursor to refrigerants and as a cleaning agent. It is a colourless liquid with a "sweet" smell that can be detected at low levels. It has practically no flammability at lower temperatures.

Carbon tetrachloride was originally synthesized by the French chemist Henri Victor Regnault in 1839 by the reaction of chloroform with chlorine, but now it is mainly produced from methane:

The production often utilizes by-products of other chlorination reactions, such as from the syntheses of dichloromethane and chloroform. Higher chlorocarbons are also subjected to "chlorinolysis":

Prior to the 1950s, carbon tetrachloride was manufactured by the chlorination of carbon disulfide at 105 to 130 °C:

The production of carbon tetrachloride has steeply declined since the 1980s due to environmental concerns and the decreased demand for CFCs, which were derived from carbon tetrachloride. In 1992, production in the U.S./Europe/Japan was estimated at 720,000 tonnes.

In the carbon tetrachloride molecule, four chlorine atoms are positioned symmetrically as corners in a tetrahedral configuration joined to a central carbon atom by single covalent bonds. Because of this symmetrical geometry, CCl₄ is non-polar. Methane gas has the same structure, making carbon tetrachloride a halomethane. As a solvent, it is well suited to dissolving other non-polar compounds, fats, and oils. It can also dissolve iodine. It is somewhat volatile, giving off vapors with a smell characteristic of other chlorinated solvents, somewhat similar to the tetrachloroethylene smell reminiscent of dry cleaners' shops.