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 ...

fluorine Fluorine is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol F and atomic number 9. It is the lightest halogen and exists at Standard temperature and pressure, standard conditions as pale yellow Diatomic molecule, diatomic gas. Fluorine is extre ...

chlorine Chlorine is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), 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 ...

, and

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 ...

with the

chemical formula 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 symbols, such as pare ...

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. It is an oxoacid of chlorine. 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 oxid ...

, though the action of ClF₅ on water is another method. : 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. :

Structure

Fluorine perchlorate is not analogous to perchloric acid because the fluorine atom is more electronegative than oxygen. It contains an oxygen atom in a rare

oxidation state In chemistry, the oxidation state, or oxidation number, is the hypothetical Electrical charge, charge of an atom if all of its Chemical bond, bonds to other atoms are fully Ionic bond, ionic. It describes the degree of oxidation (loss of electrons ...

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 agents, such as

organic compounds Some chemical authorities define an organic compound as a chemical compound that contains a carbon–hydrogen or carbon–carbon bond; others consider an organic compound to be any chemical compound that contains carbon. For example, carbon-co ...

, 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 binar ...

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 "Electron acceptor, accepts"/"receives" an electron from a (called the , , or ''electr ...

and it reacts with the

iodide An iodide ion is 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 deficiency ...

ion: : FClO₄ can also react with

tetrafluoroethylene Tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) is a fluorocarbon with the chemical formula . It is a colorless gas. Its structure is . It is used primarily in the industrial preparation of fluoropolymers. It is the simplest perfluorinated alkene. It was first repor ...

: : It may be a

radical Radical (from Latin: ', root) may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Classical radicalism, the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and Latin America in the 19th century *Radical politics ...

addition reaction In organic chemistry, an addition reaction is an organic reaction in which two or more molecule A molecule is a group of two or more atoms that are held together by Force, attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, ...

References

External links

* *Chemist

Derek Lowe Derek Christopher Lowe (born June 1, 1973) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. During his career, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, Cleveland I ...

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experiences with perchlorates
{{Perchlorates Perchlorates Oxidizing agents Hypofluorites Explosive gases