Hexachlorodisilane

Hexachlorodisilane is the inorganic compound with the chemical formula Si2Cl6. It is a colourless liquid that fumes in moist air. It has specialty applications in as a reagent and as a volatile precursor to silicon metal.

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Column 1Column 2
IUPAC name
Hexachlorodisilane
Other names
Perchlorodisilane
CAS Number.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}13465-77-5 Y
3D model (JSmol)Interactive image
ChemSpider75334
ECHA InfoCard100.033.353
EC Number236-704-1
PubChem CID83497
UNII9Z754456JM Y
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)DTXSID0065488
InChI
InChI=1S/Cl6Si2/c1-7(2,3)8(4,5)6Key: LXEXBJXDGVGRAR-UHFFFAOYSA-N
SMILES
Si(Cl)(Cl)Cl
Chemical formulaSi2Cl6
Molar mass268.88 g/mol
AppearanceColorless liquid
Melting point−1 °C (30 °F; 272 K)
Boiling point144 °C (291 °F; 417 K)
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).

Infobox references | |

Hexachlorodisilane is the inorganic compound with the chemical formula Si2Cl6. It is a colourless liquid that fumes in moist air. It has specialty applications in as a reagent and as a volatile precursor to silicon metal.

The molecule adopts a structure like ethane, with a single Si-Si bond length of 233 pm.

Hexachlorodisilane is produced in the chlorination of silicides such as e.g. calcium silicide. Idealized syntheses are as follows:

CaSi2 + 4 Cl2 → Si2Cl6 + CaCl2

Hexachlorodisilane is stable under air or nitrogen at temperatures of at least up to 400°C for several hours, but decomposes to dodecachloroneopentasilane and silicon tetrachloride in presence of Lewis bases even at room temperature.

4 Si2Cl6 → 3 SiCl4 + Si5Cl12

This conversion is useful in making silicon-based components of use in semiconducting devices including photovoltaic cells.

The compound is also useful reagent for the deoxygenation reactions, such as this general process involving a phosphine oxide:

2 Si2Cl6 + OPR3 → OSi2Cl6 + PR3