Carbide chlorides are mixed anion compounds that comprise chloride anions as well as carbon-only anions. These are the compounds generated by combining carbides and chlorine atoms. These compounds lack a chlorine-carbon link. However, there is a link between metals and carbons.
Carbides are carbon-based compounds with a less electronegative element, as silicon carbide (SiC), calcium carbide (CaC₂), or aluminum carbide (Al₄C₃). When these carbides combine with chlorine, they generate carbide chlorides.
Some examples include:
- Silicon Carbide Chloride (SiC₄): This compound forms when silicon carbide reacts with chlorine gas.
- Calcium Carbide Chloride (CaC₂Cl₂): This can form when calcium carbide reacts with chlorine gas, though it may be unstable in certain conditions.
- Aluminum Carbide Chloride (Al₄C₃Cl₄): This compound can form when aluminum carbide reacts with chlorine gas.
Many of these chemicals are cluster compounds, in which metal atoms encapsulate a carbon core and chlorine atoms surround the cluster. The chlorine can be shared between clusters to build polymers or layers. Most carbide chloride compounds are composed of rare earth elements. Some are familiar from group 4 elements. The hexatungsten carbon cluster can be oxidized and reduced, resulting in variable quantities of chlorine atoms.
The carbide chlorides are a subgroup of the halide carbides, which include carbide bromides and carbide iodides. Similar to these carbides, cluster compounds may replace carbon with boron, hydrogen, nitrogen, or phosphorus.
Carbide chlorides can have a variety of chemical properties and applications based on their composition. They are frequently investigated for their reactivity and prospective applications in various chemical processes.
