Dichlorine monoxide

Not to be confused with chlorine monoxide.
Dichlorine monoxide
Structure of dichlorine monoxide; Cl-O bond length is 170.0 pm, bond angle is 110.9°.
Space-filling model of dichlorine monoxide
Names
Other names
Oxygen dichloride
Oxygen chloride
Dichlorine oxide
Chlorine(I) oxide
Hypochlorous oxide
Hypochlorous anhydride
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChEBI
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.029.312 Edit this at Wikidata
UNII
  • InChI=1S/Cl2O/c1-3-2 checkY
    Key: RCJVRSBWZCNNQT-UHFFFAOYSA-N checkY
  • InChI=1/Cl2O/c1-3-2
    Key: RCJVRSBWZCNNQT-UHFFFAOYAA
  • ClOCl
Properties
Cl2O
Molar mass 86.9054 g/mol
Appearance brownish-yellow gas
Melting point −120.6 °C (−185.1 °F; 152.6 K)
Boiling point 2.0 °C (35.6 °F; 275.1 K)
very soluble, hydrolyses 143 g Cl2O per 100 g water
Solubility in other solvents soluble in CCl4
Structure
0.78 ± 0.08 D
Thermochemistry
265.9 J K−1 mol−1
+80.3 kJ mol−1
Hazards
GHS labelling:
GHS05: Corrosive GHS09: Environmental hazard
Danger
H290, H314, H400, H411
P234, P260, P264, P273, P280, P301+P330+P331, P303+P361+P353, P304+P340, P305+P351+P338, P310, P311, P321, P363, P390, P391, P405, P406, P501
NFPA 704 (fire diamond)
NFPA 704 four-colored diamondHealth 3: Short exposure could cause serious temporary or residual injury. E.g. chlorine gasFlammability 4: Will rapidly or completely vaporize at normal atmospheric pressure and temperature, or is readily dispersed in air and will burn readily. Flash point below 23 °C (73 °F). E.g. propaneInstability 3: Capable of detonation or explosive decomposition but requires a strong initiating source, must be heated under confinement before initiation, reacts explosively with water, or will detonate if severely shocked. E.g. hydrogen peroxideSpecial hazard OX: Oxidizer. E.g. potassium perchlorate
3
4
3
OX
Safety data sheet (SDS) [1]
Related compounds
Other cations
Related compounds
 Oxygen difluoride, nitrous oxide, chlorine dioxide
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Dichlorine monoxide is an inorganic compound with the molecular formula Cl2O. It was first synthesised in 1834 by Antoine Jérôme Balard,[2] who along with Gay-Lussac also determined its composition. In older literature it is often referred to as chlorine monoxide,[3] which can be a source of confusion as that name now refers to the ClO• radical.

At room temperature it exists as a brownish-yellow gas which is soluble in both water and organic solvents. Chemically, it is a member of the chlorine oxide family of compounds, as well as being the anhydride of hypochlorous acid. It is a strong oxidiser and chlorinating agent.

  1. ^ "CHLORINE MONOXIDE". CAMEO Chemicals. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  2. ^ Balard, A.J. (1834). "Recherches sur la nature des combinaisons décolorantes du chlore" [Investigations into the nature of bleaching compounds of chlorine]. Annales de Chimie et de Physique. 2nd series (in French). 57: 225–304.
  3. ^ Renard, J. J.; Bolker, H. I. (1 August 1976). "The chemistry of chlorine monoxide (dichlorine monoxide)". Chemical Reviews. 76 (4): 487–508. doi:10.1021/cr60302a004.