Cadmium(I) tetrachloroaluminate is the inorganic compound with the formula , a tetrachloroaluminate of cadmium(I). It was the first compound reported (1961) that contained cadmium in the +1 oxidation state and features a cadmium–cadmium bond.
was originally prepared by dissolving Cd metal in molten followed by the addition of .
Subsequent studies of the Raman vibrational spectrum indicated the presence of a cadmium–cadmium bond, which was confirmed by two separate X-ray diffraction studies of single crystals. The compound can therefore be compared to mercury(I) (mercurous) compounds (such as mercury(I) chloride), which contain . The single bonds are part of ethane-like units sharing vertices with units, with a bond length reported as 257.6 pm or 256.1pm.
is diamagnetic. It contains no unpaired electrons and reacts readily with water disproportionating to give Cd metal and .