Chlorine monofluoride
Encyclopedia
Chlorine monofluoride is a volatile
interhalogen compound with the chemical formula
ClF. It is a colourless gas at room temperature and is stable even at high temperatures. When cooled to −100 °C, ClF condenses as a pale yellow liquid. Many of its properties are intermediate between its parent halogen
s, Cl2
and F2
.
, converting metals and non-metals to their fluorides and releasing Cl2 in the process. For example, it converts tungsten
to tungsten hexafluoride and selenium
to selenium tetrafluoride
:
ClF can also chlorofluorinate compounds, either by addition across a multiple bond or via oxidation
. For example, it adds fluorine and chlorine across the triple bond of carbon monoxide
:
Volatility (chemistry)
In chemistry and physics, volatility is the tendency of a substance to vaporize. Volatility is directly related to a substance's vapor pressure. At a given temperature, a substance with higher vapor pressure vaporizes more readily than a substance with a lower vapor pressure.The term is primarily...
interhalogen compound with the chemical formula
Chemical formula
A chemical formula or molecular formula is a way of expressing information about the atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound....
ClF. It is a colourless gas at room temperature and is stable even at high temperatures. When cooled to −100 °C, ClF condenses as a pale yellow liquid. Many of its properties are intermediate between its parent halogen
Halogen
The halogens or halogen elements are a series of nonmetal elements from Group 17 IUPAC Style of the periodic table, comprising fluorine , chlorine , bromine , iodine , and astatine...
s, Cl2
Chlorine
Chlorine is the chemical element with atomic number 17 and symbol Cl. It is the second lightest halogen, found in the periodic table in group 17. The element forms diatomic molecules under standard conditions, called dichlorine...
and F2
Fluorine
Fluorine is the chemical element with atomic number 9, represented by the symbol F. It is the lightest element of the halogen column of the periodic table and has a single stable isotope, fluorine-19. At standard pressure and temperature, fluorine is a pale yellow gas composed of diatomic...
.
Reactivity
Chlorine monofluoride is a versatile fluorinating agentHalogenation
Halogenation is a chemical reaction that incorporates a halogen atom into a molecule in substitution of hydrogen atom. Halogenation takes place in the gas phase. There are four types of halogenation: fluorination, chlorination, bromination, and iodination...
, converting metals and non-metals to their fluorides and releasing Cl2 in the process. For example, it converts tungsten
Tungsten
Tungsten , also known as wolfram , is a chemical element with the chemical symbol W and atomic number 74.A hard, rare metal under standard conditions when uncombined, tungsten is found naturally on Earth only in chemical compounds. It was identified as a new element in 1781, and first isolated as...
to tungsten hexafluoride and selenium
Selenium
Selenium is a chemical element with atomic number 34, chemical symbol Se, and an atomic mass of 78.96. It is a nonmetal, whose properties are intermediate between those of adjacent chalcogen elements sulfur and tellurium...
to selenium tetrafluoride
Selenium tetrafluoride
Selenium tetrafluoride is a chemical compound. It is a colourless liquid that reacts readily with water. It can be used as a fluorinating reagent in organic syntheses and has advantages over sulfur tetrafluoride in that milder conditions can be employed and it is a liquid rather than a gas...
:
- W + 6 ClF → WF6 + 3 Cl2
- Se + 4 ClF → SeF4 + 2 Cl2
ClF can also chlorofluorinate compounds, either by addition across a multiple bond or via oxidation
Redox
Redox reactions describe all chemical reactions in which atoms have their oxidation state changed....
. For example, it adds fluorine and chlorine across the triple bond of carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide , also called carbonous oxide, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is slightly lighter than air. It is highly toxic to humans and animals in higher quantities, although it is also produced in normal animal metabolism in low quantities, and is thought to have some normal...
:
- CO + ClF →
