VCl4

Vanadium tetrachloride · Vanadium(IV) chloride

Vanadium tetrachloride is a stable, semiconducting chemical compound frequently utilized as a reactive precursor in industrial synthesis and catalysis.

ClV
Crystal structure of VCl4 (monoclinic, P21/c (No. 14))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Vanadium tetrachloride

Vanadium tetrachloride is a semiconducting inorganic compound that exists as a thermodynamically stable phase. Its structural integrity is well-documented, with extensive experimental data confirming its reliable formation and presence within materials science research.

This compound serves as a vital reagent in various synthetic pathways, particularly in the production of specialized polymers and other vanadium-based chemical species. Its ability to act as a precursor makes it an essential building block in industrial and laboratory-scale chemical manufacturing.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Vanadium tetrachloride, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

0.47 eV
Range across DFT structures · ground state: metal

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Stable
3 DFT sources

Structures

36
3 databases, 11 space groups
Validation

Cross-Source DFT Agreement

How well independent DFT databases agree on the thermodynamics of VCl4. Tight agreement means computed properties can be trusted without re-running calculations.

Agreement Score

1.00 / 1.00
Trust tier: high

Hull Spread

0.000 eV
EAH spread across sources

Sources Compared

3
jarvis, materials_project, oqmd

Space Group Consensus

Mixed (most: P21/c (No. 14))
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for VCl4, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
P2/c (No. 13)monoclinic0.000.0000-1.149—
——0.000.0000-1.415—
P21/c (No. 14)monoclinic0.000.0000-4.9342.09
P21 (No. 4)monoclinic0.410.0004-4.9332.09
——0.000.0124-1.402—
P2/c (No. 13)monoclinic0.370.0202-4.9141.43
P2/c (No. 13)monoclinic0.110.0547-4.8792.03
——0.470.0867-1.328—
——0.000.1044-1.310—
——0.000.1141-1.300—
P-1 (No. 2)triclinic———5.12
Fmm2 (No. 42)orthorhombic———4.76
Uses

Applications

Where Vanadium tetrachloride is used.

Polymerization catalystsChemical synthesis precursorOrganic synthesis reagent
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Vanadium tetrachloride, answered from cross-validated data.

What is VCl4?

Vanadium tetrachloride is a stable, semiconducting chemical compound frequently utilized as a reactive precursor in industrial synthesis and catalysis.

More questions
What is VCl4 used for?
Vanadium tetrachloride (VCl4) is used in polymerization catalysts, chemical synthesis precursor, and organic synthesis reagent.
What is the band gap of VCl4?
Vanadium tetrachloride (VCl4) has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.47 eV across 36 reported structures. Standard DFT underestimates band gaps, so the measured gap is typically larger.
Is VCl4 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
DFT predicts a band gap of up to 0.47 eV (a semiconductor). Measured gaps are typically larger.
Is VCl4 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Vanadium tetrachloride (VCl4) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. stable.
What is the crystal structure of VCl4?
The reference structure of Vanadium tetrachloride (VCl4) is monoclinic symmetry, space group P21/c (No. 14).
What is the density of VCl4?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Vanadium tetrachloride (VCl4) is 2.09 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of VCl4 are known?
36 structures of VCl4 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 11 distinct space groups.
What elements does VCl4 contain?
Vanadium tetrachloride (VCl4) contains Cl and V (2 elements).
Where does the data for VCl4 come from?
VCl4 data is cross-referenced from jarvis, oqmd, materials_project, mpaloe.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a thermodynamically stable semiconducting halide, this compound represents a key reference point for vanadium-based chemistry, offering predictable reactivity and structural consistency in synthetic applications.

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

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