What is the formula for titanium(IV) chloride?

1 Answer
Nov 3, 2016

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.