Fluorine perchlorate, also called perchloryl hypofluorite is the rarely encountered

chemical compound A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element ...

of fluorine,

chlorine Chlorine is a chemical element with the symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate between them. Chlorine i ...

, and

oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as ...

with the

chemical formula In chemistry, a chemical formula is a way of presenting information about the chemical proportions of atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound or molecule, using chemical element symbols, numbers, and sometimes also other symbol ...

or . It is an extremely unstable gas that explodes spontaneously and has a penetrating odor.

Synthesis

One synthesis uses fluorine and

perchloric acid Perchloric acid is a mineral acid with the formula H Cl O4. Usually found as an aqueous solution, this colorless compound is a stronger acid than sulfuric acid, nitric acid and hydrochloric acid. It is a powerful oxidizer when hot, but aqueous s ...

, though the action of ClF₅ on water is another method. :F2 + HClO4 -> FClO4 + HF Another method of synthesis involves the thermal decomposition of

tetrafluoroammonium The tetrafluoroammonium cation (also known as perfluoroammonium) is a positively charged polyatomic ion with chemical formula . It is equivalent to the ammonium ion where the hydrogen atoms surrounding the central nitrogen atom have been replaced ...

perchlorate, , which yields very pure that may be manipulated and frozen without explosions. :NF4ClO4 -> \Delta\ NF3 + FClO4

Structure

Fluorine perchlorate is not analogous to perchloric acid because the fluorine atom does not exist as a positive ion. It contains an oxygen atom in a rare

oxidation state In chemistry, the oxidation state, or oxidation number, is the hypothetical charge of an atom if all of its bonds to different atoms were fully ionic. It describes the degree of oxidation (loss of electrons) of an atom in a chemical compound. C ...

of 0 due to the

electronegativity Electronegativity, symbolized as , is the tendency for an atom of a given chemical element to attract shared electrons (or electron density) when forming a chemical bond. An atom's electronegativity is affected by both its atomic number and the ...

of oxygen, which is higher than that of chlorine but lower than that of fluorine.

Safety

FClO₄ has a very dangerous and unpredictable series of reactions associated with it, as a covalent perchlorate (chlorine in the +7 oxidation state) and a compound featuring a very sensitive O-F single bond. Small amounts of reducing agent, such as

organic compounds In chemistry, organic compounds are generally any chemical compounds that contain carbon-hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds. Due to carbon's ability to catenate (form chains with other carbon atoms), millions of organic compounds are known. The s ...

, can trigger explosive detonation. Products of these decomposition reactions could include oxygen halides,

interhalogen In chemistry, an interhalogen compound is a molecule which contains two or more different halogen atoms ( fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, or astatine) and no atoms of elements from any other group. Most interhalogen compounds known are b ...

compounds, and other hazardous substances. Accidental synthesis is possible if precursors are carelessly mixed. Like similar covalent fluorides and perchlorates, it needs to be handled with extreme caution.

Reaction

FClO₄ is a strong

oxidant An oxidizing agent (also known as an oxidant, oxidizer, electron recipient, or electron acceptor) is a substance in a redox chemical reaction that gains or " accepts"/"receives" an electron from a (called the , , or ). In other words, an oxi ...

and it reacts with

iodide An iodide ion is the ion I−. Compounds with iodine in formal oxidation state −1 are called iodides. In everyday life, iodide is most commonly encountered as a component of iodized salt, which many governments mandate. Worldwide, iodine de ...

ion: :FOClO3 + 2I^- -> ClO4^- + F^- + I2 FClO₄ can also react with

tetrafluoroethylene Tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) is a fluorocarbon with the chemical formula C2 F4. It is the simplest perfluorinated alkene. This gaseous species is used primarily in the industrial preparation of fluoropolymers. Properties Tetrafluoroethylene is a ...

: :CF2=CF2 + FOClO3 -> CF3CF2OClO3 It may be a radical

addition reaction In organic chemistry, an addition reaction is, in simplest terms, an organic reaction where two or more molecules combine to form a larger one (the adduct).. Addition reactions are limited to chemical compounds that have multiple bonds, such as ...

References

External links

* *Chemist Derek Lowe'
experiences with perchlorates
{{Perchlorates Explosive chemicals Perchlorates Oxidizing agents Hypofluorites Explosive gases