Tin(II) Chloride - Chemical Properties

Chemical Properties

Tin(II) chloride can dissolve in less than its own mass of water without apparent decomposition, but as the solution is diluted hydrolysis occurs to form an insoluble basic salt:

SnCl₂ (aq) + H₂O (l) Sn(OH)Cl (s) + HCl (aq)

Therefore if clear solutions of tin(II) chloride are to be used, it must be dissolved in hydrochloric acid (typically of the same or greater molarity as the stannous chloride) to maintain the equilibrium towards the left-hand side (using Le Chatelier's principle). Solutions of SnCl₂ are also unstable towards oxidation by the air:

6 SnCl₂ (aq) + O₂ (g) + 2 H₂O (l) → 2 SnCl₄ (aq) + 4 Sn(OH)Cl (s)

This can be prevented by storing the solution over lumps of tin metal.

There are many such cases where tin(II) chloride acts as a reducing agent, reducing silver and gold salts to the metal, and iron(III) salts to iron(II), for example:

SnCl₂ (aq) + 2 FeCl₃ (aq) → SnCl₄ (aq) + 2 FeCl₂ (aq)

It also reduces copper(II) to copper(I).

Solutions of tin(II) chloride can also serve simply as a source of Sn2+ ions, which can form other tin(II) compounds via precipitation reactions. For example, reaction with sodium sulfide produces the brown/black tin(II) sulfide:

SnCl₂ (aq) + Na₂S (aq) → SnS (s) + 2 NaCl (aq)

If alkali is added to a solution of SnCl₂, a white precipitate of hydrated tin(II) oxide forms initially; this then dissolves in excess base to form a stannite salt such as sodium stannite:

SnCl₂(aq) + 2 NaOH (aq) → SnO·H₂O (s) + 2 NaCl (aq)

SnO·H₂O (s) + NaOH (aq) → NaSn(OH)₃ (aq)

Anhydrous SnCl₂ can be used to make a variety of interesting tin(II) compounds in non-aqueous solvents. For example, the lithium salt of 4-methyl-2,6-di-tert-butylphenol reacts with SnCl₂ in THF to give the yellow linear two-coordinate compound Sn(OAr)₂ (Ar = aryl).

Tin(II) chloride also behaves as a Lewis acid, forming complexes with ligands such as chloride ion, for example:

SnCl₂ (aq) + CsCl (aq) → CsSnCl₃ (aq)

Most of these complexes are pyramidal, and since complexes such as SnCl₃ have a full octet, there is little tendency to add more than one ligand. The lone pair of electrons in such complexes is available for bonding, however, and therefore the complex itself can act as a Lewis base or ligand. This seen in the ferrocene-related product of the following reaction :

SnCl₂ + Fe(η5-C₅H₅)(CO)₂HgCl → Fe(η5-C₅H₅)(CO)₂SnCl₃ + Hg

SnCl₂ can be used to make a variety of such compounds containing metal-metal bonds. For example, the reaction with dicobalt octacarbonyl:

SnCl₂ + Co₂(CO)₈ → (CO)₄Co-(SnCl₂)-Co(CO)₄