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Zirconium tetrachloride

Zirconium(IV) chloride
Zirconium-tetrachloride-3D-balls-A.png
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Names
IUPAC names
Zirconium tetrachloride
Zirconium(IV) chloride
Identifiers
10026-11-6 YesY
3D model (Jmol) Interactive image
ChEBI CHEBI:77566 N
ChemSpider 23202 YesY
ECHA InfoCard 100.030.041
EC Number 233-058-2
PubChem 24817
UNII Z88176T871 N
Properties
ZrCl4
Molar mass 233.04 g/mol
Appearance white crystals
hygroscopic
Density 2.80 g/cm3
Melting point 437 °C (819 °F; 710 K) (triple point)
Boiling point 331 °C (628 °F; 604 K) (sublimes)
hydrolysis
Solubility soluble in alcohol, ether, concentrated HCl
Structure
Monoclinic, mP10
P12/c1, No. 13
Thermochemistry
125.38 J K−1 mol−1
181.41 J K−1 mol−1
−980.52 kJ/mol
Hazards
Safety data sheet MSDS
NFPA 704
Flammability code 0: Will not burn. E.g., water Health code 3: Short exposure could cause serious temporary or residual injury. E.g., chlorine gas Reactivity code 2: Undergoes violent chemical change at elevated temperatures and pressures, reacts violently with water, or may form explosive mixtures with water. E.g., phosphorus Special hazard W: Reacts with water in an unusual or dangerous manner. E.g., cesium, sodiumNFPA 704 four-colored diamond
Flash point Non-flammable
Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC):
LD50 (median dose)
 1688 mg/kg (oral, rat)
655 mg/kg (mouse, oral)
Related compounds
Other anions
Zirconium(IV) fluoride
Zirconium(IV) bromide
Zirconium(IV) iodide
Other cations
Titanium tetrachloride
Hafnium tetrachloride
Related compounds
 Zirconium(II) chloride, Zirconium(III) chloride
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
N  (what is YesYN ?)
Infobox references

Zirconium(IV) chloride, also known as zirconium tetrachloride, (ZrCl4) is an inorganic compound frequently used as a precursor to other compounds of zirconium. This white high-melting solid hydrolyzes rapidly in humid air.

Unlike molecular TiCl4, solid ZrCl4 adopts a polymeric structure wherein each Zr is octahedrally coordinated. This difference in structures is responsible for the striking difference in their properties: TiCl
4 is distillable, but ZrCl
4 is a solid with a high melting point. In the solid state, ZrCl4 adopts a tape-like linear polymeric structure—the same structure adopted by HfCl4. This polymer degrades readily upon treatment with Lewis bases, which cleave the Zr-Cl-Zr linkages.

This conversion entails treatment of the oxide with carbon as the oxide "getter" and chlorine.

A laboratory scale process uses carbon tetrachloride in place of carbon and chlorine:

ZrCl4 is an intermediate in the conversion of zirconium minerals to metallic zirconium by the Kroll process. In nature, zirconium minerals invariably exist as oxides (reflected also by the tendency of all zirconium chlorides to hydrolyze). For their conversion to bulk metal, these refractory oxides are first converted to the tetrachloride, which can be distilled at high temperatures. The purified ZrCl4 can be reduced with Zr metal to produce zirconium(III) chloride.

ZrCl4 is the most common precursor for chemical vapor deposition of zirconium dioxide and zirconium diboride.


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