Chloryl fluoride is the
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 . This compound is a gas boiling at −6 °C. It is commonly encountered as side-product in reactions of
chlorine fluorides with oxygen sources. It is the
acyl fluoride of
chloric acid
Chloric acid, H Cl O3, is an oxoacid of chlorine, and the formal precursor of chlorate salts. It is a strong acid ( p''K''a ≈ −2.7) and an oxidizing agent.
Properties
Chloric acid is thermodynamically unstable with respect to disproportio ...
.
Preparation
was first reported by Schmitz and Schumacher in 1942, who prepared it by the fluorination of
. The compound is more conveniently prepared by reaction of
sodium chlorate
Sodium chlorate is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula Na ClO3. It is a white crystalline powder that is readily soluble in water. It is hygroscopic. It decomposes above 300 °C to release oxygen and leaves sodium chloride. Sever ...
and
chlorine trifluoride and purified by vacuum fractionation, i.e. selectively condensing this species separately from other products.
:
Structure
In contrast to
, is a pyramidal molecule as predicted by
VSEPR. The differing structures reflects the greater tendency of chlorine to exist in positive oxidation states with oxygen and fluorine ligands. The related Cl-O-F compound
perchloryl fluoride, , is tetrahedral.
The related bromine compound
bromyl fluoride () adopts the same structure as , whereas
iodyl fluoride () forms a polymeric substance under standard conditions.
Precautions
Rocket fuel chemist
John Drury Clark reported in his book ''Ignition!'' that chloryl fluoride "is indecently reactive, and the hardest to keep of all the CI-O-F compounds, since it apparently dissolves the
protective metal fluoride coatings that make the storage of comparatively simple."
References
External links
WebBook page for ClO2F
{{fluorine compounds
Chloryl compounds
Oxyfluorides
Nonmetal halides
Gases
Substances discovered in the 1940s