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thionyl chloride

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thionyl chloride

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Also known as sulfinyl chloride, sulfur chloride oxide, sulfurous dichloride, sulfurous oxychloride, thionyl dichloride, SOCl2, [SCl2O], sulfur dichloride oxide

chemical compound

Chemical data

Formula
Cl2OS
Molecular weight
118.97 g/mol
IUPAC name
thionyl dichloride
SMILES
O=S(Cl)Cl
InChIKey
FYSNRJHAOHDILO-UHFFFAOYSA-N
XLogP
1.5
Polar surface area
36.3 Ų
H-bond donors
0
H-bond acceptors
2
Formal charge
0

via PubChem

Wikidata facts

Has part
chlorine
Mass
117.90469098
Show 11 more facts
Commons category
Thionyl chloride
NIOSH Pocket Guide ID
0611
density
1.64
melting point
-101
boiling point
75.6
vapor pressure
100
ceiling exposure limit
5
chemical formula
Cl₂OS
canonical SMILES
O=S(Cl)Cl
ionization energy
10.96
electric dipole moment
1.45
Sources (4)

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Encyclopedic overview

Thionyl chloride is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula SOCl2. It is a moderately volatile, colourless liquid with an unpleasant acrid odour. Thionyl chloride is primarily used as a chlorinating reagent, with approximately 45,000 tonnes (50,000 short tons) per year being produced during the early 1990s, but is occasionally also used as a solvent. It is toxic, reacts with water, and is also listed under the Chemical Weapons Convention as it may be used for the production of chemical weapons.

Thionyl chloride is sometimes confused with sulfuryl chloride, SO2Cl2, but the properties of these compounds differ significantly. Sulfuryl chloride is a source of chlorine whereas thionyl chloride is a source of chloride ions.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “thionyl chloride” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.