This cherry-red liquid is the simplest sulfur chloride and one of the most common, and it is used as a precursor to organosulfur compounds.

It is a highly corrosive and toxic substance, and it reacts on contact with water to form chlorine-containing acids.

[1] The process occurs in a series of steps, some of which are: The addition of Cl2 to S2Cl2 has been proposed to proceed via a mixed valence intermediate Cl3S−SCl.

Pure samples may be stored in sealed glass ampules which develop a slight positive pressure of chlorine, halting the decomposition.

Illustrative is its addition to 1,5-cyclooctadiene to give a bicyclic thioether[2] A well tested method for the production of the mustard gas bis(2-chloroethyl)sulfide, is the addition of ethylene to sulfur dichloride:[3] SCl2 is also a precursor to several inorganic sulfur compounds.