Carbonyl fluoride is a

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 ...

with the

formula In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a ''chemical formula''. The informal use of the term ''formula'' in science refers to the general construct of a relationship betwe ...

. It is a carbon oxohalide. This gas, like its analog

phosgene Phosgene is an organic chemical compound with the formula . It is a toxic, colorless gas; in low concentrations, its musty odor resembles that of freshly cut hay or grass. It can be thought of chemically as the double acyl chloride analog of ...

, is colourless and highly toxic. The molecule is planar with ''C''_2v

symmetry Symmetry () in everyday life refers to a sense of harmonious and beautiful proportion and balance. In mathematics, the term has a more precise definition and is usually used to refer to an object that is Invariant (mathematics), invariant und ...

bond length In molecular geometry, bond length or bond distance is defined as the average distance between Atomic nucleus, nuclei of two chemical bond, bonded atoms in a molecule. It is a Transferability (chemistry), transferable property of a bond between at ...

s of 1.174 Å (C=O) and 1.312 Å (C–F), and an F–C–F bond angle of 108.0°.

Preparation and properties

Carbonyl fluoride is usually produced as a decomposition product of fluorinated hydrocarbons in the thermal decomposition thereof, for example from trifluoromethanol or tetrafluoromethane in the presence of water: : Carbonyl fluoride can also be prepared by reaction of phosgene with

hydrogen fluoride Hydrogen fluoride (fluorane) is an Inorganic chemistry, inorganic compound with chemical formula . It is a very poisonous, colorless gas or liquid that dissolves in water to yield hydrofluoric acid. It is the principal industrial source of fluori ...

and the fluorination of

carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a poisonous, flammable gas that is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the si ...

, although the latter tends to result in over-fluorination to

carbon tetrafluoride Tetrafluoromethane, also known as carbon tetrafluoride or R-14, is the simplest perfluorocarbon (Carbon, CFluorine, F4). As its IUPAC name indicates, tetrafluoromethane is the perfluorinated counterpart to the hydrocarbon methane. It can also be c ...

. The fluorination of carbon monoxide with silver difluoride is convenient: : Carbonyl fluoride is unstable in the presence of water, hydrolyzing to

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...

and

: :

Safety

Carbonyl fluoride is very toxic with a recommended exposure limit of 2 ppm as an 8-hour time weighted average and a 5 ppm as a short-term (15-minute average) exposure, where 1 ppm = 2.70 mg of carbonyl fluoride per 1 m³ of air.

References

{{reflist Carbonyl compounds Oxyfluorides Nonmetal halides Carbon oxohalides