Chlorine tetroxide is an unstable chlorine oxide with the chemical formula .
In 1923, chemist Moses Gomberg proposed a production method of chlorine tetroxide. He claimed that treating iodine and silver perchlorate in anhydrous diethyl ether produced it.
However, later researchers claimed that the product was either iodine(I) or iodine(III) perchlorate. So far, however, there is no certain evidence for the existence of iodine perchlorate either.
The electron affinity energy of chlorine tetroxide can be figured out using the BornâÂÂHaber cycle and the lattice energy data of perchlorates. It is about 561 kJ/mol.
The structure of chlorine tetroxide is uncertain; the molecular point group may be C<sub>s</sub>, C<sub>2v</sub>, or T<sub>d</sub>.
In a solid oxygen matrix ClO<sub>4</sub> reacts to form ClO<sub>6</sub>Cl, which has three double bonded oxygen atoms, and a chain of three oxygen atoms -O-O-O<sup>â¢</sup> attached to the chlorine.