8774. Stannic Chloride

Nomenclature

CAS number: 7646-78-8
Tin tetrachloride; fuming spirit of Libavius.
Cl4Sn; mol wt 260.52.
Cl 54.43%, Sn 45.57%.
SnCl4.

Description and references

Improperly called tin bichloride”.

Properties

Fuming, caustic liquid. Corrosive. d 2.26; mp 33°; bp 114°. Sol in water and evolution of much heat; sol in alcohol, carbon tetrachloride, benzene, toluene, acetone, kerosene, gasoline. Keep tightly closed.

Derivative

Pentahydrate.

Properties

White or slightly yellow crystals or fused small lumps; slight HCl odor. Corrosive. Very sol in H2O; sol in alc.

Caution

May be highly irritating to eyes, mucous membranes.

Use

As mordant; reviving colors; stabilizer for colors and perfumes in soap; in dyeing of fabrics, weighting silk, tinning vessels; dehydrating agent in organic syntheses; in ceramics to produce abrasion-resistant or light-reflecting coatings.