N,N,N′,N′-Tetraethylchloroformamidinium chloride, the first acyclic diaminocarbene–Cl2 adduct

N,N,N′,N′-Tetraethylurea reacts with carbonic acid dichloride (phosgene) to give N,N,N′,N′-tetraethylchloroformamidinium chloride (2) in quantitative yield. The crystal structure of 2 reveals the presence of nearly linear C–Cl–Cl fragments [Cl(1)–Cl(2) 3.152(1) Å, C(1)–Cl(1)–Cl(2) 175.7(1)°] indicative of hypervalent (n–σ∗)Cl–Cl contacts.