Dichlorine monoxide
Encyclopedia
Dichlorine monoxide, Cl2O, also known as, oxygen dichloride, dichlorine oxide or chlorine(I) oxide is a chlorine oxide
. It is a brownish yellow gas at room temperature which can explode in high concentrations when heated or sparked.
It is best prepared by treating fresh yellow mercury(II) oxide
with Cl2 gas:
It can also be prepared by reaction of Cl2 gas with moist sodium carbonate
, Na2CO3. Dichlorine monoxide is very water soluble and is the anhydride of hypochlorous acid
. The equilibrium between HOCl and Cl2O in water is reversible
Much of the Cl2O manufactured industrially is used to make hypochlorite
s. It is also the decomposition product of calcium hypochlorite
.
The shape of dichlorine monoxide is bent
, due to the two lone pairs of electrons orbiting the nucleus that are not used to bond with the chlorine atoms on the oxygen atom.
It contains 42 electrons. 17 electrons of Cl x2 and 8 electrons of O x 1.
Chlorine oxide
Chlorine and oxygen can bond in many different ways:* chlorine monoxide * chlorine dioxide * chlorine trioxide * dichlorine monoxide * dichlorine dioxide * dichlorine trioxide...
. It is a brownish yellow gas at room temperature which can explode in high concentrations when heated or sparked.
It is best prepared by treating fresh yellow mercury(II) oxide
Mercury(II) oxide
Mercury oxide, also called mercuric oxide or simply mercury oxide, has a formula of HgO. It has a red or orange color. Mercury oxide is a solid at room temperature and pressure...
with Cl2 gas:
- 2 + 2 HgO → +
It can also be prepared by reaction of Cl2 gas with moist sodium carbonate
Sodium carbonate
Sodium carbonate , Na2CO3 is a sodium salt of carbonic acid. It most commonly occurs as a crystalline heptahydrate, which readily effloresces to form a white powder, the monohydrate. Sodium carbonate is domestically well-known for its everyday use as a water softener. It can be extracted from the...
, Na2CO3. Dichlorine monoxide is very water soluble and is the anhydride of hypochlorous acid
Hypochlorous acid
Hypochlorous acid is a weak acid with the chemical formula HClO. It forms when chlorine dissolves in water. It cannot be isolated in pure form due to rapid equilibration with its precursor...
. The equilibrium between HOCl and Cl2O in water is reversible
- 2HOCl <> Cl2O + H2O K(0°C) =3.55x10-3dm3mol-1
Much of the Cl2O manufactured industrially is used to make hypochlorite
Hypochlorite
The hypochlorite ion, also known as chlorate anion is ClO−. A hypochlorite compound is a chemical compound containing this group, with chlorine in oxidation state +1.Hypochlorites are the salts of hypochlorous acid...
s. It is also the decomposition product of calcium hypochlorite
Calcium hypochlorite
Calcium hypochlorite is a chemical compound with formula 2. It is widely used for water treatment and as a bleaching agent...
.
The shape of dichlorine monoxide is bent
Bent molecular geometry
In chemistry, the term "bent" can be applied to certain molecules to describe their molecular geometry. H2O is an example of a bent molecule. The bond angle between the two hydrogen atoms is approximately 104.45°. Nonlinear triatomic molecules and ions are common for compounds containing only...
, due to the two lone pairs of electrons orbiting the nucleus that are not used to bond with the chlorine atoms on the oxygen atom.
It contains 42 electrons. 17 electrons of Cl x2 and 8 electrons of O x 1.