Neha Patil (Editor)

Polonium tetrachloride

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Molar mass
  
350.79 g/mol

Boiling point
  
390 °C

Appearance
  
Bright yellow crystalline solid

Polonium tetrachloride (also known as polonium(IV) chloride) is a chemical compound with the formula PoCl4. It is a hygroscopic bright yellow crystalline solid at room temperature. Above 200 °C, it tends to decompose into polonium dichloride and excess chlorine, similar to selenium tetrachloride and tellurium tetrachloride.

Contents

Structure

Polonium tetrachloride is either monoclinic or triclinic.

Appearance

Polonium tetrachloride is bright yellow at room temperature. At its melting point (300 °C), it becomes straw yellow, and at its boiling point (390 °C), it becomes scarlet. Its vapours are purple-brown until 500 °C, when they turn blue-green.

Preparation

Polonium tetrachloride may be prepared by:

  • halogenation of polonium dioxide with dry hydrogen chloride, gaseous thionyl chloride, or phosphorus pentachloride;
  • dissolving of polonium metal in hydrochloric acid;
  • heating polonium dioxide to 200 °C in carbon tetrachloride vapour;
  • reaction of polonium metal with dry chlorine gas in 200 °C.
  • Chemistry

    Polonium tetrachloride forms a complex with two moles of tributyl phosphate.

    Like selenium tetrachloride and tellurium tetrachloride, polonium tetrachloride forms PoCl
    5
    and PoCl2−
    6
    halogen complexes.

    References

    Polonium tetrachloride Wikipedia