Most carbon tetrachloride is produced by reacting carbon disulfide with chlorine. At 105 to 130 °C, these chemicals react to produce carbon tetrachloride according to the chemical equation
CS2 + 3Cl2 → CCl4 + S2Cl2
A smaller quantity of carbon tetrachloride is produced as a byproduct in the synthesis of dichloromethane and chloroform in reaction:
CH4 + 4Cl2 → CCl4 + 4HCl
In the carbon tetrachloride molecule, four chlorine atoms are positioned symmetrically as corners in a tetrahedral configuration joined to a carbon atom, in the center, by single covalent bonds. This symmetrical geometry results in the molecule having no net dipole moment. Therefore, carbon tetrachloride is a non-polar solvent best suited to dissolving other non-polar compounds. It is somewhat volatile, giving off vapors having a smell characteristic of other chlorinated solvents, somewhat similar to the tetrachloroethylene smell reminiscent of dry cleaner's shops. Pure carbon tetrachloride has little or, practically, no flammability at lower temperatures. Because it has no hydrogen atoms it is sometimes useful as an 1H NMR spectroscopy solvent for non-polar samples. Because of its health risks its use as a solvent, particularly where human contact is usual, has been minimized in the past decades.