Germanium(IV) iodide is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula GeI₄.

Preparation

Germanium(IV) iodide can be obtained by the reaction of

germanium Germanium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ge and atomic number 32. It is lustrous, hard-brittle, grayish-white and similar in appearance to silicon. It is a metalloid or a nonmetal in the carbon group that is chemically ...

and

iodine Iodine is a chemical element; it has symbol I and atomic number 53. The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists at standard conditions as a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid that melts to form a deep violet liquid at , and boils to a vi ...

or the reaction of

germanium dioxide Germanium dioxide, also called germanium(IV) oxide, germania, and salt of germanium, is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula Ge O2. It is the main commercial source of germanium. It also forms as a passivation layer on pure germaniu ...

and 57%

hydriodic acid Hydroiodic acid (or hydriodic acid) is a colorless liquid. It is an aqueous solution of hydrogen iodide with the chemical formula . It is a strong acid, in which hydrogen iodide is ionized completely in an aqueous solution. Concentrated aqueou ...

: :

Chemical properties

Germanium(IV) iodide reacts with tetraalkyl tin at 250 °C to form R₂SnI₂ and R₂GeI₂ (R= Et, Bu, Ph). It reacts with germanium and sulfur at high temperatures to produce red GeSI₂ and orange Ge₂S₃I₂. It reacts with

diiron nonacarbonyl Diiron nonacarbonyl is an organometallic compound with the formula Fe2(CO)9. This metal carbonyl is a reagent in organometallic chemistry and of occasional use in organic synthesis. It is a more reactive source of Fe(0) than Fe(CO)5. This mica ...

in an ionic liquid ( MIml/AlCl₃) at 130 °C to obtain Ge₁₂ e(CO)₃sub>8I₄. :

Physical properties

Germanium(IV) iodide is an orange-red crystalline solid that hydrolyzes in water. It is soluble in

carbon disulfide Carbon disulfide (also spelled as carbon disulphide) is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula and structure . It is also considered as the anhydride of thiocarbonic acid. It is a colorless, flammable, neurotoxic liquid that is used as ...

and

benzene Benzene is an Organic compound, organic chemical compound with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecular formula C6H6. The benzene molecule is composed of six carbon atoms joined in a planar hexagonal Ring (chemistry), ring with one hyd ...

, but less soluble in

carbon tetrachloride Carbon tetrachloride, also known by many other names (such as carbon tet for short and tetrachloromethane, also IUPAC nomenclature of inorganic chemistry, recognised by the IUPAC), is a chemical compound with the chemical formula CCl4. It is a n ...

and

chloroform Chloroform, or trichloromethane (often abbreviated as TCM), is an organochloride with the formula and a common solvent. It is a volatile, colorless, sweet-smelling, dense liquid produced on a large scale as a precursor to refrigerants and po ...

. It begins to decompose into germanium(II) iodide and iodine above its melting point. Germanium(IV) iodide crystallizes in the cubic crystal system,

space group In mathematics, physics and chemistry, a space group is the symmetry group of a repeating pattern in space, usually in three dimensions. The elements of a space group (its symmetry operations) are the rigid transformations of the pattern that ...

''Pa'' (space group no. 205), with the

lattice parameter A lattice constant or lattice parameter is one of the physical dimensions and angles that determine the geometry of the unit cells in a crystal lattice, and is proportional to the distance between atoms in the crystal. A simple cubic crystal has ...

a = 11.89 Å. The crystal structure consists of tetrahedral GeI₄ molecules.

References

{{Iodides Germanium compounds Iodides