Zinc iodide is the inorganic compound with the formula ZnI2.
It can be prepared by the direct reaction of zinc and iodine in water[1][2] or refluxing ether:[3] Absent a solvent, the elements do not combine directly at room temperature.
While zinc centers are tetrahedrally coordinated, as in ZnCl2, groups of four of these tetrahedra share three vertices to form “super-tetrahedra” of composition {Zn4I10}, which are linked by their vertices to form a three-dimensional structure.
[5][6] Molecular ZnI2 is linear as predicted by VSEPR theory with a Zn-I bond length of 238 pm.
[5] In aqueous solution the following have been detected: Zn(H2O)62+, [ZnI(H2O)5]+, tetrahedral ZnI2(H2O)2, ZnI3(H2O)−, and ZnI42−.