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Oxygen difluoride

Oxygen difluoride


Other names	difluorine monoxide fluorine monoxide oxygen difluoride oxygen fluoride hypofluorous anhydride
Identifiers
CAS number	[7783-41-7]
Properties
Molecular formula	OF₂
Molar mass	53.9962 g mol⁻¹
Melting point	−224 °C
Boiling point	−145 °C
Solubility in other solvents	68 mL gaseous OF₂ in 1 L (0 °C)^[1]
Thermochemistry
Std enthalpy of formation Δ_fH^o₂₉₈	24.5 kJ mol⁻¹
Related Compounds
Related compounds	O₂F₂ NHF₂ NF₃ SCl₂
Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa) Infobox disclaimer and references

Oxygen difluoride is the chemical compound with the formula OF₂. As predicted by VSEPR theory, the molecule adopts a bent structure like H₂O, but it has very different properties, being a strong oxidant.

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Preparation

Oxygen difluoride was first reported in 1929; it was obtained by the electrolysis of molten potassium fluoride and hydrofluoric acid containing small quantities of water.^[2]^[3] The modern preparation entails the reaction of fluorine with a dilute aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide:

2F₂ + 2NaOH → OF₂ + 2NaF + H₂O

Reactions

Its powerful oxidizing properties are suggested by the oxidation number of +2 for the oxygen atom, which is unusual. Above 200 °C, OF₂ decomposes to oxygen and fluorine via a radical mechanism.

OF₂ reacts with many metals to yield oxides and fluorides. Nonmetals also react: phosphorus reacts with OF₂ to form PF₅ and POF₃; sulfur gives SO₂ and SF₄; and unusually for a noble gas, xenon reacts, yielding XeF₄ and xenon oxyfluorides.

Oxygen difluoride reacts very slowly with water to form hydrofluoric acid:

OF₂(aq) + H₂O(aq) → 2HF(aq) + O₂(g)

Popular culture

In Robert L. Forward's science fiction novel Camelot 30K, oxygen difluoride was used as a biochemical solvent by fictional life forms living in the solar system's Kuiper belt.

Safety

OF₂ is a dangerous chemical, as is the case for any strongly oxidizing gas.

References

^ Yost, D. M. "Oxygen Fluoride" Inorganic Syntheses, 1939 volume, 1, pages 109-111.
^ Lebeau, P.; Damiens, A. "A New Method for the Preparation of the Fluorine Oxide”Compt. rend. 1929, volume 188, 1253-5.
^ Lebeau, P.; Damiens, A. "The Existence of an Oxygen Compound of Fluorine"Compt. rend. 1927, volume 185, pages 652-4.

Categories: Oxygen compounds | Fluorides | Nonmetal halides | Rocket oxidizers

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Oxygen_difluoride". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia.

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