Carbon Tetrachloride(CCl4) Properties(25 Complete Facts)

Carbon Tetrachloride is an organic compound. Let us go through the nuggets of properties that carbon tetrachloride offers.

Carbon Tetrachloride is a typical liquid, identified as a greenhouse gas, and is toxic in nature if consumed in ample amounts. It not only acts as a solvent for certain organic reactions but also covers a wider base of applications in the industry.

Let us dive into different properties, like density, boiling point , and reactions of this organic compound in this article.

Carbon Tetrachloride IUPAC Name

The IUPAC name (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) of Carbon Tetrachloride is Tetrachloromethane.

Carbon Tetrachloride Chemical Formula

The chemical formula of Carbon Tetrachloride is CCl4, consisting of 1 carbon atom and three chlorine atoms respectively.

Carbon Tetrachloride CAS Number

The CAS Number (Unique and authentic numeric identifier that can have atmost 10 digits) of Carbon Tetrachloride is 56-23-5.

Carbon Tetrachloride ChemSpider ID

The ChemSpider ID (free chemical structure database) of Carbon Tetrachloride is 5730.

Carbon Tetrachloride Chemical Classification

  • Carbon Tetrachloride is a widely used chemical that is classified as a moderately inflammable solvent, cleaning agent and even as a refrigerant.
  • Although Carbon Tetrachloride is insoluble in water, it dissolves in a few organic solvents.
  • At higher temperatures,Carbon Tetrachloride is prone to free-radical reactions.

Carbon Tetrachloride Molar Mass

The molar mass of Carbon Tetrachloride is 153.81 g/mol.

Carbon Tetrachloride Color

Carbon Tetrachloride is generally observed as a colorless liquid.

Carbon Tetrachloride Viscosity

The viscosity of Carbon Tetrachloride is 0.972 mPa-s (at 20ºC).

Carbon Tetrachloride Molar Density

The molar density of carbon tetrachloride is 0.0103 mol/cm3.

Carbon Tetrachloride Melting Point

Melting point of carbon tetrachloride: -22.92 ºC (250.23 K).

Carbon Tetrachloride Boiling Point

Boiling point of carbon tetrachloride: 76.72 ºC (349.87 K).

Carbon Tetrachloride State at Room Temperature

Carbon Tetrachloride appears as a colorless liquid to the naked eye at room temperature. But it can exist as a solid at very low temperatures.

CCL4 chrome 2
Carbon Tetrachloride Structure

Carbon Tetrachloride Covalent Bond

The molecule is made up of total 4 single covalent bonds as shown in the diagram. All four bonds are of equal length, with each bond approximately 1.76 Å long.

Carbon Tetrachloride Covalent Radius

The covalent radius of Carbon Tetrachloride cannot be detected as a covalent radius can only be measured for a single atom.

Carbon Tetrachloride Electronic Configuration

The electronic configuration is the general distribution of electrons around different atomic orbitals of an atom. Let us see the electronic configuration of Carbon Tetrachloride.

  • Carbon has the electronic configuration- [He2] 2s2 2p2.
  • Chlorine has the electronic configuration- [Ne10] 3s2 3p5.

Carbon Tetrachloride Oxidation State

In carbon tetrachloride, the oxidation state of each Chlorine atom is -1. The central atom, Carbon, bears an oxidation number of +4.

Carbon Tetrachloride Acidity

Carbon tetrachloride has a pH of around 6, showing neither significant acidic nor alkaline behaviour.

Is Carbon Tetrachloride Odourless?

Carbon tetrachloride has a distinct sweet odour.

Is Carbon Tetrachloride Paramagnetic?

Paramagnetism is a property of a molecule to usually develop a permanent magnetic moment due to the presence of unpaired electrons in its system.

Carbon tetrachloride is diamagnetic in nature. The molecular state does not indicate any presence of unpaired electron(s).

Carbon Tetrachloride Hydrates

Carbon Tetrachloride has no well-recognized hydrates as the molecule does not hydrolyse in water, due to the unavailability of d-orbitals.

Carbon Tetrachloride Crystal Structure

The solid form of Carbon Tetrachloride has a monoclinic crystal structure and a tetrahedral shape. The space group is C2/c with the lattice parameters being a= 20.3, b=11.6, c= 19.9 (10-1 nm), β= 111º.

Carbon Tetrachloride Polarity and Conductivity

  • Carbon Tetrachloride is non-polar and has a very low dipole moment.
  • Carbon Tetrachloride has a very low conductivity of 0.1036 W/m·K (300 K) as it does not dissolve in water too.

Carbon Tetrachloride Reaction with Acid

Carbon Tetrachloride is involved in a reaction with phenol in presence of Sodium hydroxide where Salicylic acid is formed along with Sodium chloride and water. The carboxylic group is always attached to the ortho-carbon with respect to phenolic -OH.

RTR chrome 1
Reaction of Carbon Tetrachloride with Phenol

Carbon Tetrachloride Reaction with Base

In presence of excess aqueous potassium hydroxide, carbon tetrachloride decomposes to give carbonate ions, chloride ions in water. It is reported OHions act as a nucleophile to attack the carbon atom of carbon tetrachloride.

  • CCl4 + 6KOH = K2CO3 + 4KCl + H2O

Carbon Tetrachloride Reaction with Oxide

Carbon tetrachloride reacts with alkaline earth metal oxides to primarily evolve carbon dioxide at slightly room temperature where no chemical reaction has been predicted.

Conclusion

Carbon tetrachloride is a toxic colourless chemical widely used as a refrigerant or cooling agent in fire extinguishers. However, it’s need is restricted due to its involvement in ozone layer depletion. It can be a product of different chlorination reactions and decomposes in presence of sunlight.