Trithiazyl trichloride is the

inorganic compound An inorganic compound is typically a chemical compound that lacks carbon–hydrogen bonds⁠that is, a compound that is not an organic compound. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as ''inorganic chemistry''. Inorgan ...

with the formula . A white solid, it is a precursor to other

sulfur nitride Sulfur nitride may refer to a number of sulfur nitrogen compounds: * Pentasulfur hexanitride, *Tetrasulfur tetranitride, * Tetrasulfur dinitride, *Disulfur dinitride, *Polythiazyl, * Thiatetrazole, Additionally, some unstable species are know ...

s, but has no commercial applications.

Structure

The molecule is a 6-membered ring of alternating nitrogen and sulfur atoms, where each sulfur atom is attached to one chlorine atom by a single bond. The molecule contains alternating single and double bonds in the core. The molecule has C_3v

symmetry Symmetry () in everyday life refers to a sense of harmonious and beautiful proportion and balance. In mathematics, the term has a more precise definition and is usually used to refer to an object that is Invariant (mathematics), invariant und ...

. The core is slightly ruffled structure with S-N distances of 160.5 pm. The S-Cl distances are 208 pm, and the chlorine atoms are mutually ''cis''. The S centers are tetravalent and pyramidal. In contrast to the NSCl connectivity,

nitrosyl chloride Nitrosyl chloride is the chemical compound with the formula NOCl. It is a yellow gas that is commonly encountered as a component of aqua regia, a mixture of 3 parts concentrated hydrochloric acid and 1 part of concentrated nitric acid. It is a str ...

has the connectivity ONCl.

Synthesis and reactions

Trithiazyl trichloride is obtained by chlorination of

tetrasulfur tetranitride Tetrasulfur tetranitride is an inorganic compound with the formula . This vivid orange, opaque, crystalline explosive is the most important binary sulfur nitride, which are compounds that contain only the elements sulfur and nitrogen. It is a pre ...

thiazyl fluoride Thiazyl fluoride is a compound with the chemical formula . It is a colourless, pungent gas at room temperature and condenses to a pale yellow liquid at 0.4 °C. Along with thiazyl trifluoride, , it is an important precursor to sulfur-nitrogen-fluo ...

monomer: : : At 100 °C in vacuum, thiazyl chloride trimer undergoes

cracking Cracking may refer to: * Cracking, the formation of a fracture or partial fracture in a solid material studied as fracture mechanics ** Performing a sternotomy * Fluid catalytic cracking, a catalytic process widely used in oil refineries for crac ...

to thiazyl chloride monomer, which is a green gas. : In N≡S−Cl, chlorine is bonded to sulfur, in contrast to

O=N–Cl, where chlorine is bonded to nitrogen. In contrast, with six fewer electrons,

cyanuric chloride Cyanuric chloride is an organic compound with the formula (NCCl)3. This white solid is the chlorinated derivative of 1,3,5-triazine. It is the trimer of cyanogen chloride. Cyanuric chloride is the main precursor to the popular but controversi ...

is a planar ring.

Alkoxide In chemistry, an alkoxide is the conjugate base of an alcohol and therefore consists of an organic group bonded to a negatively charged oxygen atom. They are written as , where R is the organyl substituent. Alkoxides are strong bases and, whe ...

or silver

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

s displace the chlorides: :(-NS(Cl)-)₃ + 3 NaOR → (-NS(OR)-)₃ + 3 NaCl :(-NS(Cl)-)₃ + 3 AgX → (-NS(X)-)₃ + 3 AgCl Treating thiazyl chloride with sulfur in the presence of

antimony pentachloride Antimony pentachloride is a chemical compound with the formula SbCl5. It is a colourless oil, but typical samples are yellowish due to dissolved chlorine. Owing to its tendency to hydrolyse to hydrochloric acid, SbCl5 is a highly corrosive subs ...

gives

dithionitronium hexachloroantimonate Dithionitronium hexafloroarsenate is the inorganic compound with the formula . It is the hexafluoroarsenate () salt of S=N=S+. The cation is of interest as the sulfur analogue of nitronium (). Hexafloroarsenate is a weakly coordinating anion. Accor ...

: : It reacts with

nitriles In organic chemistry, a nitrile is any organic compound that has a functional group. The name of the compound is composed of a base, which includes the carbon of the , suffixed with "nitrile", so for example is called "propionitrile" (or pro ...

to dithiadiazolium chlorides: :

Sulfur trioxide Sulfur trioxide (alternative spelling sulphur trioxide) is the chemical compound with the formula SO3. It has been described as "unquestionably the most conomicallyimportant sulfur oxide". It is prepared on an industrial scale as a precursor to ...

successively oxidizes the compound at the sulfur atoms to , which exists as stereoisomers.

References

{{cite journal, title=The Crystal Structures of Two Sulfur-Nitrogen Compounds with (S-N)₃ Rings. II. Trithiazylchloride, (NSCl)₃, at -130 C, last1=Wiegers, first1=G. A., last2=Vos, first2=A., journal=Acta Crystallographica, year=1966, volume=20, issue=2, page= 192, doi=10.1107/s0365110x66000410 Inorganic chlorine compounds Sulfur(IV) compounds Nitrides Sulfur–nitrogen compounds Six-membered rings