Nitrogen monofluoride (fluoroimidogen) is a metastable species that has been observed in laser studies. It is isoelectronic with O₂. Like

boron monofluoride Boron monofluoride or fluoroborylene is a chemical compound with the formula BF, one atom of boron and one of fluorine. It is an unstable gas, but it is a stable ligand on transition metals, in the same way as carbon monoxide. It is a subhalide, ...

, it is an instance of the rare multiply-bonded fluorine atom. It is unstable with respect to its formal dimer,

dinitrogen difluoride Dinitrogen difluoride is a chemical compound with the formula . It is a gas at room temperature, and was first identified in 1952 as the thermal decomposition product of the fluorine azide (). It has the structure and exists in both ''cis'' an ...

, as well as to its elements,

nitrogen Nitrogen is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a Nonmetal (chemistry), nonmetal and the lightest member of pnictogen, group 15 of the periodic table, often called the Pnictogen, pnictogens. ...

and

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 ...

. Nitrogen monofluoride is produced when

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 ...

species (H, O, N, CH₃) abstracts a fluorine atom from

nitrogen difluoride Nitrogen difluoride, also known as difluoroamino, is a reactive radical molecule with formula . This small molecule is in equilibrium with its dimer tetrafluorohydrazine. : As the temperature increases the proportion of increases. The molecule ...

(NF₂). Stoichiometrically, the reaction is extremely efficient, regenerating a radical for long-lasting

chain propagation In chemistry, chain propagation (sometimes just referred to as propagation) is a process in which a reactive intermediate is continuously regenerated during the course of a Chain reaction#Chemical chain reactions, chemical chain reaction. For exa ...

. However, radical impurities in the end product also catalyze that product's decomposition.

Azide In chemistry, azide (, ) is a linear, polyatomic anion with the formula and structure . It is the conjugate base of hydrazoic acid . Organic azides are organic compounds with the formula , containing the azide functional group. The dominant ...

decomposition offers a less-efficient but more pure technique: fluorine azide (which can be formed ''in situ'' via reaction of atomic fluorine with hydrazoic acid) decomposes upon shock into NF and N₂. Many NF-producing reactions give the product in an

excited state In quantum mechanics Quantum mechanics is the fundamental physical Scientific theory, theory that describes the behavior of matter and of light; its unusual characteristics typically occur at and below the scale of atoms. Reprinted, Add ...

with characteristic

chemiluminescence Chemiluminescence (also chemoluminescence) is the emission of light (luminescence) as the result of a chemical reaction, i.e. a chemical reaction results in a flash or glow of light. A standard example of chemiluminescence in the laboratory se ...

at 870 and 875 nm (infrared), or at 525–530 nm (green). They have thus been investigated for development as a

chemical laser A chemical laser is a laser that obtains its energy from a chemical reaction. Chemical lasers can reach continuous wave output with power reaching to megawatt levels. They are used in industry for cutting and drilling. Common examples of chemical ...

References

{{Fluorides Nitrogen fluorides Nitrogen compounds Diatomic molecules