Chlorine tetroxide is a chlorine oxide with the chemical formula ClO
4.
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Gomberg's mistaken 1923 production
In 1923, the famous radical chemist Moses Gomberg proposed a production method of chlorine tetroxide. He claimed that treating iodine and silver perchlorate in anhydrous diethyl ether produced it.
I2 + 2 AgClO4 → 2 AgI + (ClO4)2However, later researchers claimed that the product was iodine perchlorate. So far, however, there is no certain evidence for the existence of iodine perchlorate, either.
Eachus' 1968 production
In 1968, Eachus synthesized it by exposing potassium chlorate to gamma rays at 77 K. It is a reaction intermediate of the decomposition of dichlorine heptoxide.
Properties
The electron affinity energy of chlorine tetroxide can be figured out using the Born-Haber cycle and the lattice energy data of perchlorates. It is about 561 kJ/mol.
The structure of chlorine tetroxide is uncertain, and the symmetry point group may be Cs or C2v.