ClO2

Chlorine dioxide · Chlorine peroxide

Chlorine dioxide is a stable, semiconducting chemical compound primarily used as a potent oxidizing agent in water treatment and industrial bleaching.

ClO
Crystal structure of ClO2 (orthorhombic, Pbca (No. 61))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Chlorine dioxide

Chlorine dioxide is a versatile semiconducting compound composed of chlorine and oxygen. It is recognized for its high thermodynamic stability, existing on the convex hull, which underscores its robust chemical nature in various reaction environments.

Due to its unique electronic properties and reactivity, this compound is a critical agent in modern industrial chemistry. It is widely utilized for its powerful oxidative capabilities, making it a staple in water purification and pulp bleaching applications.

At a glance

Key Properties

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

Band Gap

0.96 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: narrow gap

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Stable
3 DFT sources

Structures

58
4 databases, 14 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of ClO2. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

0.23 / 1.00
Trust tier: low

Hull Spread

0.192 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

3
jarvis, materials_project, oqmd

Space Group Consensus

—
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for ClO2, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
Pbca (No. 61)orthorhombic0.960.0000-4.2682.37
——0.930.0000-0.261—
P1 (No. 1)triclinic0.000.19220.184—
——0.000.96090.700—
——0.001.50121.240—
——0.002.05691.796—
Pm (No. 6)monoclinic0.002.16502.157—
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic———3.49
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———1.77
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———2.91
P1 (No. 1)triclinic———3.00
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic———3.36
Uses

Applications

Where Chlorine dioxide is used.

Water disinfectionPulp and paper bleachingFood processing sanitationIndustrial wastewater treatment
Intellectual Property

Patent Landscape

4 patents reference ClO2 or close compositional variants.

PatentTitleAssigneeGranted
11224671Release of ClO2 gas from produce packaging film——
11590472Methods and compositions for on-demand release of ClO2 gas from UV-activated chlorite ion——
11071801Release of ClO2 gas from medical device packaging film——
8563046Compositions, systems, and/or methods involving chlorine dioxide (“ClO2”)——
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Chlorine dioxide, answered from cross-validated data.

What is ClO2?

Chlorine dioxide is a stable, semiconducting chemical compound primarily used as a potent oxidizing agent in water treatment and industrial bleaching.

More questions
What is ClO2 used for?
Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) is used in water disinfection, pulp and paper bleaching, food processing sanitation, and industrial wastewater treatment.
What is the band gap of ClO2?
Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.96 eV across 58 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is ClO2 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 0.96 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is ClO2 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. stable.
What is the crystal structure of ClO2?
The reference structure of Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) is orthorhombic symmetry, space group Pbca (No. 61).
What is the density of ClO2?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) is 2.37 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of ClO2 are known?
58 structures of ClO2 are reported across 4 databases, spanning 14 distinct space groups.
What elements does ClO2 contain?
Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) contains Cl and O (2 elements).
Where does the data for ClO2 come from?
ClO2 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, oqmd, jarvis, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a standalone compound in this context, chlorine dioxide represents a highly specialized chemical species. Its position on the convex hull distinguishes it as a thermodynamically favored material, providing a reliable baseline for oxidative chemical processes compared to less stable chlorine-oxygen species.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project (materialsproject.org). Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013). (CC-BY-4.0)
  • oqmd — Data from the OQMD (oqmd.org). Cite: Saal et al., JOM 65, 1501 (2013); Kirklin et al., npj Comp. Mater. 1, 15010 (2015). (CC-BY-4.0)
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (jarvis.nist.gov), NIST. Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020). (LicenseRef-US-Gov-PD)
  • mpaloe — Data from MP-ALOE. Cite: Kuner et al., npj Comput. Mater. (2025), doi:10.1038/s41524-025-01834-9.

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