Everything about Silicon Tetrachloride totally explained
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Silicon tetrachloride is the
chemical compound with the
formula SiCl
4. It was prepared by
Jöns Jakob Berzelius in
1823.
Chemistry
This colourless
volatile liquid compound is prepared by the treatment of
silicon with
chlorine:
» Si + 2 Cl
2 → SiCl
4
It reacts readily with
water, in contrast with
carbon tetrachloride. The differing rates of
hydrolysis are attributed to the greater
atomic radius of the silicon
atom, whereas
carbon has a smaller atomic radius so the chlorine atoms effectively shield the carbon from attack. In water, the following reaction occurs:
» SiCl
4 + 2 H
2O → SiO
2 + 4 HCl
With
methanol and
ethanol it reacts to give
tetramethyl orthosilicate and
tetraethyl orthosilicate:
» SiCl
4 + 4 ROH → Si(OR)
4 + 4 HCl
At higher temperatures
homologues of silicon tetrachloride can be prepared by the reaction:
» Si + SiCl
4 → Si
2Cl
6 + homologues
Uses
Silicon tetrachloride is sometimes used as an intermediate in the manufacture of extremely pure
silicon, since it has a boiling point convenient for purification by repeated
fractional distillation; it can be reduced to silicon by hydrogen gas, or hydrolysed to SiO
2 as a precursor for extremely pure synthetic
fused silica. Very pure silicon is used in large amounts in the semiconductor industry, and also in the production of photovoltaic cells.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Silicon Tetrachloride'.
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