Illustrated Glossary of Organic Chemistry
Thionyl chloride:
A
molecule
composed of an S=O
group
bonded
to two chlorine atoms; Cl
2
S=O. Useful for the conversion of
alcohols
to
alkyl halides
, and
carboxylic acids
into
acid chlorides
.
Molecular Structure
of Thionyl Chloride
Lewis structure
Ball and spoke model
Space-filling model
Use of thionyl chloride to convert
1-octanol
(a
primary alcohol
) into 1-chloro
octane
(a
primary alkyl chloride
).
Use of thionyl chloride to convert
benzoic acid
(a
carboxylic acid
) into
benzoyl
chloride (an
acid chloride
).
Related terms:
Dimethyl sulfoxide
,
DMSO
,
phosgene
,
sulfide
,
thioether
,
sulfoxide
,
sulfone
,
sulfonyl chloride
,
sulfonic acid
,
sulfonamide
,
thiol
,
thiolate
,
thioester
,
thiolester
Wikipedia entry
Return to glossary index