2. Carbochlorination of oxides

2.1 Principle

In oxides, the oxygen atom bound to the metal cannot be displaced by chlorine alone. It is necessary for a reducing agent to strip the oxygen from the oxide molecule, while chlorine simultaneously binds to the metal.

The processes differ in the choice of reducing agent (carbon or carbon monoxide) and chlorinating agent (Cl ₂ , COCl ₂ or SOCl ₂ ), which obviously has a dual role: reducing agent and chlorinating agent.

The technology applied depends essentially on the volatility of the chloride.