Chlorine nitrate, with chemical formula ClONO₂ is an important atmospheric gas present in the

stratosphere The stratosphere () is the second-lowest layer of the atmosphere of Earth, located above the troposphere and below the mesosphere. The stratosphere is composed of stratified temperature zones, with the warmer layers of air located higher ...

. It is an important sink of reactive chlorine and nitrogen, and thus its formation and destruction play an important role in the depletion of ozone. __TOC__

Chemical properties

It explosively reacts with metals, metal chlorides, alcohols, ethers, and most organic materials. When it is heated to decomposition, it emits toxic fumes of Cl₂ and NO_x.

Synthesis and reactions

It can be produced by the reaction of

dichlorine monoxide Dichlorine monoxide (IUPAC name: oxygen dichloride) is an inorganic compound with the molecular formula Cl2O. It was first synthesised in 1834 by Antoine Jérôme Balard, who along with Gay-Lussac also determined its composition. In older liter ...

and

dinitrogen pentoxide Dinitrogen pentoxide (also known as nitrogen pentoxide or nitric anhydride) is the chemical compound with the formula . It is one of the binary nitrogen oxides, a family of compounds that contain only nitrogen and oxygen. It exists as colourless c ...

at 0 °C: :Cl₂O + N₂O₅ → 2 ClONO₂ or by the reaction: :ClF + HNO₃ → HF + ClONO₂ It can also react with

alkene In organic chemistry, an alkene, or olefin, is a hydrocarbon containing a carbon–carbon double bond. The double bond may be internal or at the terminal position. Terminal alkenes are also known as Alpha-olefin, α-olefins. The Internationa ...

s: :(CH₃)₂C=CH₂ + ClONO₂ → O₂NOC(CH₃)₂CH₂Cl Chlorine nitrate reacts with metal

chloride The term chloride refers to a compound or molecule that contains either a chlorine anion (), which is a negatively charged chlorine atom, or a non-charged chlorine atom covalently bonded to the rest of the molecule by a single bond (). The pr ...

s: :4 ClONO₂ + TiCl₄ → Ti(NO₃)₄ + 4 Cl₂

References

{{Hypochlorites Inorganic chlorine compounds Nitrates Oxidizing agents Chlorine(I) compounds Hypochlorites