Cl2O

Dichlorine monoxide · Chlorine monoxide, Dichlorine oxide

Dichlorine monoxide is a reactive, semiconducting oxide of chlorine often used as an intermediate in chemical synthesis.

ClO
Crystal structure of Cl2O (tetragonal, I41/amd (No. 141))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Dichlorine monoxide

Dichlorine monoxide is a reactive inorganic compound consisting of chlorine and oxygen. It functions as a semiconducting material and is primarily recognized for its role in chemical synthesis and as a precursor in various oxidation processes. Due to its chemical nature, it is often handled with caution in laboratory environments. The compound is characterized by its position above the thermodynamic hull, indicating that it is metastable and prone to decomposition under certain conditions. Despite this instability, it remains a subject of interest in structural chemistry, with numerous reported configurations across multiple databases highlighting its complex bonding behavior.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Dichlorine monoxide, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

1.05 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.180 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Above hull
2 DFT sources

Structures

19
3 databases, 7 space groups
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for Cl2O, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
I41/amd (No. 141)tetragonal1.050.1799-2.8782.16
P1 (No. 1)Triclinic2.56
P1 (No. 1)
Pmm2 (No. 25)
P-1 (No. 2)Triclinic2.94
Cm (No. 8)Monoclinic2.60
Cm (No. 8)Monoclinic2.37
Cm (No. 8)Monoclinic4.33
P-1 (No. 2)Triclinic4.81
P1 (No. 1)Triclinic2.66
I41/amd (No. 141)
P1 (No. 1)Triclinic4.46
Uses

Applications

Where Dichlorine monoxide is used.

Chemical synthesisChlorinating agentOxidizing agent
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Dichlorine monoxide, answered from cross-validated data.

What is Cl2O?

Dichlorine monoxide is a reactive, semiconducting oxide of chlorine often used as an intermediate in chemical synthesis.

More questions
What is Cl2O used for?
Dichlorine monoxide (Cl2O) is used in chemical synthesis, chlorinating agent, and oxidizing agent.
What is the band gap of Cl2O?
Dichlorine monoxide (Cl2O) has a DFT-computed band gap of 1.05 eV across 19 reported structures.
Is Cl2O a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a band gap up to 1.05 eV it is a semiconductor.
Is Cl2O thermodynamically stable?
Dichlorine monoxide (Cl2O) has a lowest energy above hull of 0.180 eV/atom (above hull).
What is the crystal structure of Cl2O?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of Dichlorine monoxide (Cl2O) is tetragonal symmetry, space group I41/amd (No. 141).
What is the density of Cl2O?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Dichlorine monoxide (Cl2O) is 2.16 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of Cl2O are known?
19 structures of Cl2O are reported across 3 databases, spanning 7 distinct space groups.
What elements does Cl2O contain?
Dichlorine monoxide (Cl2O) contains Cl and O (2 elements).
Where does the data for Cl2O come from?
Cl2O data is cross-referenced from materials_project, mpaloe, jarvis.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a unique oxide of chlorine, this compound occupies a specialized niche in inorganic chemistry. Unlike more stable, inert oxides, its metastability defines its utility as a highly reactive reagent, setting it apart from more conventional, thermodynamically robust materials.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
  • mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (NIST). Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020).

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