A white solid, SnCl2, soluble in water and ethanol. It exists in the anhydrous form (rhombic; r.d. 3.95; m.p. 246°C; b.p. 652°C) and as a dihydrate, SnCl2.2H2O (monoclinic; r.d. 2.71; m.p. 37.7°C). The compound is made by dissolving metallic tin in hydrochloric acid and is partially hydrolysed in solution.
Excess acid must be present to prevent the precipitation of basic salts. In the presence of additional chloride ions the pyramidal ion [SnCl3]− is formed; in the gas phase the SnCl2 molecule is bent. It is a reducing agent in acid solutions and oxidizes slowly in air: