‘Provide the correct formula for sulfur tetrachloride’
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct formula for sulfur tetrachloride is SCl₄.
Explanation
Sulfur tetrachloride is a chemical compound composed of one sulfur atom and four chlorine atoms. The name itself follows standard rules of chemical nomenclature used for covalent (molecular) compounds. These compounds are typically formed between nonmetals, and sulfur and chlorine both belong to this category.
In naming covalent compounds, prefixes are used to indicate the number of atoms of each element in the molecule. “Tetra” means four, so “tetrachloride” refers to four chlorine atoms. The “sulfur” part of the name represents a single sulfur atom. Because there is only one sulfur atom, the prefix “mono” is not used at the beginning of the name. This is a common convention in chemistry when the first element in the formula appears only once.
Sulfur has six valence electrons and needs two more to complete its octet. However, sulfur is in the third period of the periodic table and has access to d-orbitals, allowing it to expand its octet. This enables sulfur to form more than the typical two bonds, which is why it can bond with four chlorine atoms to form SCl₄.
The molecular structure of sulfur tetrachloride is typically described as a seesaw shape, derived from a trigonal bipyramidal electron geometry. This geometry results because the sulfur atom is surrounded by five electron pairs — four bonding pairs and one lone pair. The lone pair occupies an equatorial position, leading to the seesaw molecular shape.
SCl₄ is not very stable at room temperature. It tends to decompose into sulfur dichloride (SCl₂) and chlorine gas (Cl₂). Because of this instability, sulfur tetrachloride is mainly of theoretical interest or used under controlled conditions in research laboratories. Despite this, understanding its formula and structure helps illustrate key principles in chemical bonding and molecular geometry.
