ZnCl2

zinc chloride · butter of zinc

Zinc chloride is a stable, insulating metal halide widely used as a versatile chemical reagent and industrial flux.

ClZn
Crystal structure of ZnCl2
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About zinc chloride

Zinc chloride is a highly versatile inorganic compound that exists as a thermodynamically stable solid. Due to its wide-gap insulating nature, it exhibits unique reactivity and solubility characteristics that distinguish it from many other metal halides.

This compound is widely utilized in industrial processes ranging from chemical synthesis to metallurgical fluxing. Its stability and predictable chemical behavior make it a fundamental reagent in both laboratory research and large-scale manufacturing environments.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for zinc chloride, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

3.88–4.33 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
2 DFT sources

Structures

97
3 databases, 17 space groups
Synthesis

Synthesis Routes

Literature-extracted synthesis procedures targeting ZnCl2.

Sol Gel
Procedure available · ceder_sol_gel
Uses

Applications

Where zinc chloride is used.

flux for solderingtextile processingorganic synthesis catalystdehydrating agentwood preservation
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about zinc chloride, answered from cross-validated data.

What is ZnCl2?

Zinc chloride is a stable, insulating metal halide widely used as a versatile chemical reagent and industrial flux.

More questions
What is ZnCl2 used for?
zinc chloride (ZnCl2) is used in flux for soldering, textile processing, organic synthesis catalyst, dehydrating agent, and wood preservation.
What is the band gap of ZnCl2?
zinc chloride (ZnCl2) has a DFT-computed band gap of 3.88–4.33 eV across 97 reported structures.
Is ZnCl2 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a wide band gap up to 4.33 eV it is an insulator / wide-band-gap material.
Is ZnCl2 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — zinc chloride (ZnCl2) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
How many polymorphs of ZnCl2 are known?
97 structures of ZnCl2 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 17 distinct space groups.
How is ZnCl2 synthesized?
Literature-reported routes for ZnCl2 include sol gel.
What elements does ZnCl2 contain?
zinc chloride (ZnCl2) contains Cl and Zn (2 elements).
Where does the data for ZnCl2 come from?
ZnCl2 data is cross-referenced from latticegraph.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a prominent metal halide, zinc chloride serves as a benchmark for ionic-covalent bonding characteristics within its class. It is recognized for its significant structural diversity, being one of the most extensively documented compounds in its category across multiple crystallographic databases.

Data sources & attribution
  • latticegraph — Lattice Graph Materials Intelligence Platform

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