Bromine pentafluoride, Br F₅, is an interhalogen compound and a

fluoride Fluoride (). According to this source, is a possible pronunciation in British English. is an Inorganic chemistry, inorganic, Monatomic ion, monatomic Ion#Anions and cations, anion of fluorine, with the chemical formula (also written ), whose ...

bromine Bromine is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Br and atomic number 35. It is a volatile red-brown liquid at room temperature that evaporates readily to form a similarly coloured vapour. Its properties are intermediate between th ...

. It is a strong fluorinating agent. BrF₅ finds use in

oxygen Oxygen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group (periodic table), group in the periodic table, a highly reactivity (chemistry), reactive nonmetal (chemistry), non ...

isotope analysis Isotope analysis is the identification of isotopic signature, abundance of certain stable isotopes of chemical elements within organic and inorganic compounds. Isotopic analysis can be used to understand the flow of energy through a food we ...

. Laser ablation of solid

silicate A silicate is any member of a family of polyatomic anions consisting of silicon and oxygen, usually with the general formula , where . The family includes orthosilicate (), metasilicate (), and pyrosilicate (, ). The name is also used ...

s in the presence of BrF₅ releases O₂ for subsequent analysis. It has also been tested as an oxidizer in liquid

rocket propellant Rocket propellant is used as reaction mass ejected from a rocket engine to produce thrust. The energy required can either come from the propellants themselves, as with a chemical rocket, or from an external source, as with ion engines. Overvi ...

s and is used as a fluorinating agent in the processing of

uranium Uranium is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Ura ...

Preparation

BrF₅ was first prepared in 1931 by the direct reaction of bromine and fluorine. This reaction is suitable for the preparation of large quantities, and is carried out at temperatures over with an excess of fluorine: :Br₂ + 5 F₂ → 2 BrF₅ For the preparation of smaller amounts, potassium bromide is used: :KBr + 3 F₂ → KF + BrF₅ This route yields BrF₅ almost completely free of trifluorides and other impurities.

Reactions

BrF₅ reacts with water to form bromic acid and hydrofluoric acid: :BrF₅ + 3 H₂O → HBrO₃ + 5 HF It is an extremely effective fluorinating agent, being able to convert most metals to their highest fluorides even at room temperature. With uranium and uranium compounds, it can be used to produce uranium hexafluoride: :5 U + 6 BrF₅ → 5 UF₆ + 3 Br₂

Hazards

BrF₅ reacts violently with water, and is severely corrosive and toxic. Its vapors are also extremely irritating to all parts of the human body, especially the skin, eyes and other

mucous membrane A mucous membrane or mucosa is a membrane that lines various cavities in the body of an organism and covers the surface of internal organs. It consists of one or more layers of epithelial cells overlying a layer of loose connective tissue. It ...

s. Like many other interhalogen compounds, it will release "smoke" containing acidic vapors if exposed to moist air, which comes from its reaction with the water in the air. Exposure to 100 ppm or more for more than one minute is lethal to most experimental animals. Chronic exposure may cause kidney damage and liver failure. Additionally, BrF₅ is a strong oxidizing agent and may spontaneously ignite or explode upon contact with flammable substances such as organic materials and metal dust.

References

External links

WebBook page for BrF₅
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{{fluorine compounds Fluorides Bromine(V) compounds Interhalogen compounds Fluorinating agents Oxidizing agents Substances discovered in the 1930s