CCl2O

Phosgene · Carbonyl dichloride

Phosgene is a highly reactive, insulating carbonyl halide primarily utilized as a critical intermediate in the large-scale production of plastics and specialty chemicals.

CClO
Crystal structure of CCl2O (tetragonal, I41/a (No. 88))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Phosgene

Phosgene is a simple yet potent carbonyl halide characterized by its insulating electronic nature. As a molecule that sits near the thermodynamic hull, it remains a subject of significant interest for its accessibility and reactivity in chemical synthesis. Its structure is defined by a central carbon atom double-bonded to oxygen and single-bonded to two chlorine atoms.

This compound serves as a vital building block in industrial chemistry, particularly in the production of polymers and various organic derivatives. Its ability to act as a chlorinating and carbonylating agent makes it indispensable for manufacturing polyurethanes and polycarbonates, despite the stringent safety protocols required for its handling.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Phosgene, aggregated across 4 databases.

Band Gap

4.56 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.015 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Near hull (likely stable)
2 DFT sources

Structures

12
4 databases, 4 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of CCl2O. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

1.00 / 1.00
Trust tier: medium

Hull Spread

0.000 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

1
materials_project

Space Group Consensus

All match
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for CCl2O, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
I41/a (No. 88)tetragonal4.560.0147-5.5191.82
P-1 (No. 2)Triclinic4.27
P1 (No. 1)Triclinic2.22
P-1 (No. 2)Triclinic2.83
No. 0unknown0.50
P1 (No. 1)Triclinic1.35
P1 (No. 1)Triclinic1.30
P1 (No. 1)Triclinic1.33
No. 0unknown0.49
Uses

Applications

Where Phosgene is used.

Polyurethane productionPolycarbonate synthesisOrganic chemical synthesisPesticide manufacturing
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Phosgene, answered from cross-validated data.

What is CCl2O?

Phosgene is a highly reactive, insulating carbonyl halide primarily utilized as a critical intermediate in the large-scale production of plastics and specialty chemicals.

More questions
What is CCl2O used for?
Phosgene (CCl2O) is used in polyurethane production, polycarbonate synthesis, organic chemical synthesis, and pesticide manufacturing.
What is the band gap of CCl2O?
Phosgene (CCl2O) has a DFT-computed band gap of 4.56 eV across 12 reported structures.
Is CCl2O a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a wide band gap up to 4.56 eV it is an insulator / wide-band-gap material.
Is CCl2O thermodynamically stable?
Phosgene (CCl2O) has a lowest energy above hull of 0.015 eV/atom (near hull (likely stable)).
What is the crystal structure of CCl2O?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of Phosgene (CCl2O) is tetragonal symmetry, space group I41/a (No. 88).
What is the density of CCl2O?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Phosgene (CCl2O) is 1.82 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of CCl2O are known?
12 structures of CCl2O are reported across 4 databases, spanning 4 distinct space groups.
What elements does CCl2O contain?
Phosgene (CCl2O) contains C, Cl, and O (3 elements).
Where does the data for CCl2O come from?
CCl2O data is cross-referenced from materials_project, mpaloe, alexandria, cod.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a standalone carbonyl halide, this compound represents a fundamental building block in industrial chemistry. Unlike more complex organic halides, its structural simplicity allows it to function as a versatile precursor for a wide range of chemical syntheses, setting a benchmark for reactivity within its class.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
  • mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.
  • alexandria — Data from alexandria.
  • cod — Data from the Crystallography Open Database. Cite: Grazulis et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 40, D420 (2012).

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