What is "carbon tetraiodide"

n. the halogenated hydrocarbon tetraiodomethane

Carbon tetraiodide is , a tetrahalomethane. Being bright red, it is a relatively rare example of a highly colored methane derivative. It is only 2% by weight carbon, although other methane derivatives are known with still less carbon.

The tetrahedral molecule features C-I distances of 2.12 ± 0.02 Å. The molecule is slightly crowded with short contacts of 3.459 ± 0.03 Å, and possibly for this reason, it is thermally and photochemically unstable. Hexaiodoethane is unknown, probably for the same reason.

Carbon tetraiodide crystallizes in tetragonal crystal structure (a 6.409, c 9.558 (.10 nm)).

It has zero dipole moment due to its symmetrically substituted tetrahedral molecule.