Vanadium(II) chloride is the inorganic compound with the formula VCl2, and is the most reduced vanadium chloride. Vanadium(II) chloride is an apple-green solid that dissolves in water to give purple solutions.
Solid VCl2 is prepared by thermal decomposition of VCl3, which leaves a residue of VCl2:[1]
2 VCl3 → VCl2 + VCl4VCl2 dissolves in water to give the purple hexaaquo ion [V(H<sub>2</sub>O)<sub>6</sub>]2+. Evaporation of such solutions produces crystals of [V(H<sub>2</sub>O)<sub>6</sub>]Cl2.[2]
Vanadium dichloride is used as a specialty reductant in organic chemistry. As an aqueous solution, it converts cyclohexylnitrate to cyclohexanone. It reduces phenyl azide into aniline.[3]
Solid VCl2 adopts the cadmium iodide structure, featuring octahedral coordination geometry. VBr2 and VI2 are structurally and chemically similar to the dichloride. All have the d3 configuration, with a quartet ground state, akin to Cr(III).[4]