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Tin(IV) chloride

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Tin(IV) chloride

Tin(IV) chloride, also known as tin tetrachloride or stannic chloride, is an inorganic compound of tin and chlorine with the formula SnCl4. It is a colorless hygroscopic liquid, which fumes on contact with air. It is used as a precursor to other tin compounds. It was first discovered by Andreas Libavius (1550–1616) and was known as spiritus fumans libavii.

It is prepared from reaction of chlorine gas with tin at 115 °C (239 °F):

Anhydrous tin(IV) chloride solidifies at −33 °C to give monoclinic crystals with the P21/c space group. It is isostructural with SnBr4. The molecules adopt near-perfect tetrahedral symmetry with average Sn–Cl distances of 227.9(3) pm.

Tin(IV) chloride is well known as a Lewis acid. Thus it forms hydrates. The pentahydrate SnCl4·5H2O was formerly known as butter of tin. These hydrates consist of cis-[SnCl4(H2O)2] molecules together with varying amounts of water of crystallization. The additional water molecules link together the molecules of [SnCl4(H2O)2] through hydrogen bonds. A pentahydrate has also been crystallized. In cis-SnCl4(H2O)2·3H2O, the Sn-Cl bonds are 238.3 pm. Although the pentahydrate is the most common hydrate, lower hydrates have also been characterised.

Aside from water, other Lewis bases form adducts with SnCl4. These include ammonia and organophosphines.

The ammonium salt of [SnCl6]2− is formed from ammonium chloride. It is called "pink salt":

The analogous reaction with hydrochloric acid gives "hexachlorostannic acid".

Reaction of the tetrachloride with hydrogen fluoride gives tin tetrafluoride:

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