Tungsten(IV) chloride

Tungsten(IV) chloride is an inorganic compound with the formula WCl₄. It is a diamagnetic black solid. The compound is of interest in research as one of a handful of binary tungsten chlorides.

Structure and preparation

WCl₄ is usually prepared by reduction tungsten hexachloride. Many reductants have been reported, including red phosphorus, tungsten hexacarbonyl, gallium, tin, and antimony. The latter is reported to be optimal:

Like most binary metal halides, WCl₄ is polymeric. It consists of linear chains of tungsten atoms each in octahedral geometry. Of six chloride ligands attached to each W center, four are bridging ligands. The W-W separations are alternatingly bonding (2.688 Å) and nonbonding (3.787 Å).

Reactions

Reduction of tungsten(IV) chloride with sodium yields the ditungsten(III) heptachloride derivative:

References