Chromyl chloride

Chromyl chloride is a dark red, volatile chromium(VI) oxychloride with formula CrO₂Cl₂. It forms when certain chloride salts react with concentrated sulfuric acid and is used in a qualitative test for chloride.

Connect

Chromyl chloride test: A qualitative test in which certain chloride salts yield red chromyl chloride fumes with concentrated sulfuric acid. This test uses chromyl chloride formation to identify chloride in suitable salts.
Oxychloride: A compound containing oxygen and a more electropositive element combined with one or more other anionic elements. Chromyl chloride belongs to this family because it contains chromium, oxygen, and chlorine.
Qualitative inorganic analysis: The identification of inorganic ions and compounds through characteristic reactions. Chromyl chloride is a reagent product in a traditional test for chloride ions.
Chromyl bromide: A chromium(VI) oxybromide with formula CrO₂Br₂. Replacing chlorine with bromine preserves the oxyhalide pattern but changes the compound’s properties.
Sodium chromate: An inorganic chromium(VI) salt with formula Na₂CrO₄, commonly present as a yellow solid. Alkaline hydrolysis of chromyl chloride produces chromate ions, often isolated as this salt.
Chromium: A chemical element with symbol Cr and atomic number 24, known for multiple oxidation states. Chromium forms the central atom in chromyl chloride.
Chloride: A negatively charged chlorine ion, Cl⁻, or a compound containing it. The chromyl chloride test detects chloride in certain solid salts.
Chromium oxyfluoride: A chromium(VI) oxyfluoride with formula CrO₂F₂. This related oxyhalide shows how a different halogen changes chromium(VI) compound behavior.
Chromium trioxide: A dark red chromium(VI) oxide with formula CrO₃ and a strong oxidizing action. Hydrolysis and acidification of chromyl chloride can produce chromium trioxide.
Oxidation state: A formal accounting value describing an atom’s electron allocation in a compound. Chromium’s +6 oxidation state predicts chromyl chloride’s strong oxidizing character.