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Concept
Zinc chloride
Summary
Zinc chloride is the name of inorganic chemical compounds with the formula . It forms hydrates. Zinc chloride, anhydrous and its hydrates are colorless or white crystalline solids, and are highly soluble in water. Five hydrates of zinc chloride are known, as well as four forms of anhydrous zinc chloride. This salt is hygroscopic and even deliquescent. Zinc chloride finds wide application in textile processing, metallurgical fluxes, and chemical synthesis. No mineral with this chemical composition is known aside from the very rare mineral simonkolleite, .
Four crystalline forms (polymorphs) of are known: α, β, γ, and δ. Each case features tetrahedral centers.
Here a, b, and c are lattice constants, Z is the number of structure units per unit cell, and ρ is the density calculated from the structure parameters.
The orthorhombic form (δ) rapidly changes to one of the other forms on exposure to the atmosphere. A possible explanation is that the ions originating from the absorbed water facilitate the rearrangement. Rapid cooling of molten gives a glass.
Molten has a high viscosity at its melting point and a comparatively low electrical conductivity, which increases markedly with temperature. As indicated by a Raman scattering study, the viscosity is explained by the presence of polymers,. Neutron scattering study indicated the presence of tetrahedral centers, which requires aggregation of monomers as well..
In the gas phase, molecules are linear with a bond length of 205 pm.
Five hydrates of zinc chloride are known: with n = 1, 1.5, 2.5, 3 and 4. The tetrahydrate crystallizes from aqueous solutions of zinc chloride.
Anhydrous can be prepared from zinc and hydrogen chloride:
Hydrated forms and aqueous solutions may be readily prepared similarly by treating Zn metal, zinc carbonate, zinc oxide, and zinc sulfide with hydrochloric acid:
Unlike many other elements, zinc essentially exists in only one oxidation state, 2+, which simplifies the purification of the chloride.
Commercial samples of zinc chloride typically contain water and products from hydrolysis as impurities.
Official source
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