Germanium dichloride

Germanium dichloride
Names
Preferred IUPAC name
Germanium dichloride
Systematic IUPAC name
Dichlorogermanylidene
Other names
Dichlorogermylene

Germanium(II) chloride

Germanous chloride
Identifiers
CAS Number
  • 10060-11-4
3D model (JSmol)
  • Interactive image
ChemSpider
  • 4885679
ECHA InfoCard 100.030.162 Edit this at Wikidata
EC Number
  • 233-192-1
PubChem CID
  • 6327122
UNII
  • SI7JKX4F22 checkY
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
  • DTXSID40143425 Edit this at Wikidata
InChI
  • InChI=1S/Cl2Ge/c1-3-2
    Key: QHGIKMVOLGCZIP-UHFFFAOYSA-N
  • Cl[Ge]Cl
Properties
Chemical formula
GeCl2
Molar mass 143.546 g/mol
Appearance white-pale yellow solid
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
Infobox references
Chemical compound

Germanium dichloride is a chemical compound of germanium and chlorine with the formula GeCl2. It is a yellow solid. Germanium dichloride is an example of a compound featuring germanium in the +2 oxidation state.

Preparation

Solid germanium dichloride can be produced by comproportionation by passing germanium tetrachloride, GeCl4, over germanium metal at 300 °C and reduced pressure (0.1 mmHg).[1]

GeCl4 + Ge → 2 GeCl2

Germanium dichloride is also formed from the decomposition of trichlorogermane, GeHCl3, at 70 °C. Trichlorogermane is generated when germanium reacts with hydrogen chloride.[1] This reaction involves dehydrohalogenation.

GeHCl3 → GeCl2 + HCl

Another route to germanium dichloride is the reduction of germanium tetrachloride with hydrogen at 800 °C.[1]

GeCl4 + H2 → GeCl2 + 2HCl

Reactions

GeCl2 is hydrolysed to give yellow germanium(II) hydroxide, which on warming gives brown germanium monoxide:[1]

GeCl2 + 2 H2O ⇌ Ge(OH)2(s) + 2 HCl
Ge(OH)2 → GeO + H2O

Alkalizing a solution containing germanium(II) ions:

Ge2+ + 2 OH → Ge(OH)2

Germanium oxides and hydroxides are amphoteric. Solutions of GeCl2 in HCl are strongly reducing.[2] With chloride ion, ionic compounds containing the pyramidal GeCl3 ion have been characterised, for example [3] With rubidium and caesium chloride compounds, e.g. RbGeCl3 are produced; these have distorted perovskite structures.[1]

Germanium dichloride reacts with tetraethylammonium chloride to give the trichlorogermanate:[4]

GeCl2 + Et4NCl → Et4NGeCl3

Dichlorogermylene

Molecular GeCl2 is often called dichlorogermylene, highlighting its resemblance to a carbene. The structure of gas-phase molecular GeCl2 shows that it is a bent molecule, as predicted by VSEPR theory.[5] The dioxane complex, GeCl2·dioxane, has been used as a source of molecular GeCl2 for reaction syntheses, as has the in situ reaction of GeCl4 and Ge metal. GeCl2 is quite reactive and inserts into many types of chemical bonds.[6] Usually, germanium dichloride is generated from germanium dichloride dioxane.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Greenwood, Norman N.; Earnshaw, Alan (1997). Chemistry of the Elements (2nd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann. p. 376. ISBN 978-0-08-037941-8.
  2. ^ Egon Wiberg, Arnold Frederick Holleman (2001) Inorganic Chemistry, Elsevier ISBN 0-12-352651-5
  3. ^ Kociok-Köhn, G.; Winter, J. G.; Filippou, A. C. (1999). "Trimethylphosphonium trichlorogermanate(II)". Acta Crystallogr. C. 55 (3): 351–353. doi:10.1107/S010827019801169X.
  4. ^ Parshall, G. W. (1974). "Tetraethylammonium Trichlorogermanate(l-) and Trichlorostannate(l-)". Inorganic Syntheses. 15: 222–225. doi:10.1002/9780470132463.ch48. ISBN 9780470132463.
  5. ^ Tsuchiya, Masaki J.; Honjou, Hiroaki; Tanaka, Keiichi; Tanaka, Takehiko (1995). "Millimeter-wave spectrum of germanium dichloride GeCl2. Equilibrium structure and anharmonic force field". Journal of Molecular Structure. 352–353: 407–415. Bibcode:1995JMoSt.352..407T. doi:10.1016/0022-2860(95)08830-O.
  6. ^ Egorov, M.P.; Gaspar, P. (1994). "Germanium: Organometallic chemistry". Encyclopedia of Inorganic chemistry. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-93620-0.
  • v
  • t
  • e
Ge(II)
Ge(IV)
  • GeBr4
  • GeCl4
  • GeF4
  • GeI4
  • GeO2
  • GeS2
  • GeSe2
  • Ge3N4
  • v
  • t
  • e
Salts and covalent derivatives of the chloride ion
HCl He
LiCl BeCl2 B4Cl4
B12Cl12
BCl3
B2Cl4
+BO3
C2Cl2
C2Cl4
C2Cl6
CCl4
+C
+CO3
NCl3
ClN3
+N
+NO3
ClxOy
Cl2O
Cl2O2
ClO
ClO2
Cl2O4
Cl2O6
Cl2O7
ClO4
+O
ClF
ClF3
ClF5
Ne
NaCl MgCl2 AlCl
AlCl3
Si5Cl12
Si2Cl6
SiCl4
P2Cl4
PCl3
PCl5
+P
S2Cl2
SCl2
SCl4
+SO4
Cl2 Ar
KCl CaCl
CaCl2
ScCl3 TiCl2
TiCl3
TiCl4
VCl2
VCl3
VCl4
VCl5
CrCl2
CrCl3
CrCl4
MnCl2
MnCl3
FeCl2
FeCl3
CoCl2
CoCl3
NiCl2 CuCl
CuCl2
ZnCl2 GaCl
GaCl3
GeCl2
GeCl4
AsCl3
AsCl5
+As
Se2Cl2
SeCl2
SeCl4
BrCl Kr
RbCl SrCl2 YCl3 ZrCl3
ZrCl4
NbCl3
NbCl4
NbCl5
MoCl2
MoCl3
MoCl4
MoCl5
MoCl6
TcCl3
TcCl4
RuCl2
RuCl3
RuCl4
RhCl3 PdCl2 AgCl CdCl2 InCl
InCl2
InCl3
SnCl2
SnCl4
SbCl3
SbCl5
Te3Cl2
TeCl2
TeCl4
ICl
ICl3
XeCl
XeCl2
XeCl4
CsCl BaCl2 * LuCl3 HfCl4 TaCl3
TaCl4
TaCl5
WCl2
WCl3
WCl4
WCl5
WCl6
ReCl3
ReCl4
ReCl5
ReCl6
OsCl2
OsCl3
OsCl4
OsCl5
IrCl2
IrCl3
IrCl4
PtCl2
PtCl4
AuCl
(Au[AuCl4])2
AuCl3
Hg2Cl2
HgCl2
TlCl
TlCl3
PbCl2
PbCl4
BiCl3 PoCl2
PoCl4
AtCl Rn
FrCl RaCl2 ** LrCl3 RfCl4 DbCl5 SgO2Cl2 BhO3Cl Hs Mt Ds Rg Cn Nh Fl Mc Lv Ts Og
 
* LaCl3 CeCl3 PrCl3 NdCl2
NdCl3
PmCl3 SmCl2
SmCl3
EuCl2
EuCl3
GdCl3 TbCl3 DyCl2
DyCl3
HoCl3 ErCl3 TmCl2
TmCl3
YbCl2
YbCl3
** AcCl3 ThCl3
ThCl4
PaCl4
PaCl5
UCl3
UCl4
UCl5
UCl6
NpCl3 PuCl3 AmCl2
AmCl3
CmCl3 BkCl3 CfCl3
CfCl2
EsCl2
EsCl3
FmCl2 MdCl2 NoCl2