Zirconyl chloride is the inorganic compound with the formula of [Zr4(OH)8(H2O)16]Cl8·12H2O, more commonly written ZrOCl2·8H2O, and referred to as zirconyl chloride octahydrate. It is a white solid and is the most common water-soluble derivative of zirconium. The salt is produced by hydrolysis of zirconium tetrachloride or treating zirconium oxide with hydrochloric acid.Ralph Nielsen "Zirconium and Zirconium Compounds" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, 2005, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim. A compound with the formula ZrOCl2 has not been characterized.
Structure It adopts a tetrameric structure, consisting of the cation [Zr4(OH)8(H2O)16]8+. features four pairs of hydroxide bridging ligands linking four Zr4+ centers. The chloride anions are not ligands, consistent with the high oxophilicity of Zr(IV). The salt crystallizes as tetragonal crystals.T. W. Mak "Refinement of the crystal structure of zirconyl chloride octahydrate" Canadian Journal of Chemistry, 46, 3491 (1968)
See also Zirconyl acetate
References
External links MSDS Data MSDS data Sigma-Aldrich