Question

What is the formula for titanium(IV) chloride?

Answer 1

For `"titanic chloride"`? `TiCl_4`.

Explanation:

`"Titanic chloride"` is a volatile liquid, `"boiling point, 136.4 "^@C`.

The `(IV)` refers to the oxidation state of the metal, i.e. we have formally a `Ti^(4+)` centre bound to 4 chloride ligands, and hence a `+IV` oxidation state.

Titanic chloride reacts with moist air according to the following rxn:

`TiCl_4(l) + 2H_2O(l) rarr TiO_2(s) + 4HCl(aq)`

You don't tend to see it as much these days, but have you ever seen a light aircraft writing messages in the sky, i.e. skywriting? The airplane would carry a canister of titanic chloride, which could be opened and shut during the plane's maneouvers, and write messages in the sky by means of the solid `TiO_2` formed in the moist air.

Note that `TiO_2`, `"titanic oxide"`, is used in vast quantities by the paint industry to produce white paint, that is `"whiter than white"` due to the `TiO_2` content.