Chlorine dioxide
chemical compound
Chlorine dioxide is a chemical compound with the formula ClO2 that exists as yellowish-green gas above 11 °C (52 °F), a reddish-brown liquid between 11 and −59 °C (52 and −74 °F), and as bright orange crystals below −59 °C (−74 °F). It is usually handled as an aqueous solution. It is commonly used as a bleach. Applications are in food processing and as a disinfectant.
Structure and bonding
Chlorine dioxide is a free radical. A molecule of ClO2 has an odd number of valence electrons, and therefore it is paramagnetic. It is an unusual "example of an odd-electron molecule stable toward dimerization" (nitric oxide being another example).
ClO2 crystallizes in the orthorhombic Pbca space group.
History
Chlorine dioxide was first prepared in 1811 by Sir Humphry Davy.
In 1933, Lawrence O. Brockway, a graduate student of Linus Pauling, proposed a structure that involved a three-electron bond and two single bonds.
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