Rhenium(IV) chloride

Rhenium(IV) chloride is the inorganic compound with the formula ReCl4.

This black solid is of interest as a binary phase but otherwise is of little practical value.

It can also be produced by reduction of rhenium(V) chloride with antimony trichloride.

[2] Tetrachloroethylene at 120 °C is also effective as a reductant: X-ray crystallography reveals a polymeric structure.

The structural motif - corner-shared bioctahedra - is unusual in the binary metal halides.

Unit cell of β-Rhenium(IV) chloride under standard conditions.