This MedLibrary.org supplementary page on Oxygen difluoride is provided directly from the open source Wikipedia as a service to our readers. Please see the note below on authorship of this content, as well as the Wikipedia usage guidelines. To search for other content from our encyclopedia supplement, please use the form below:
Related Sponsors
| 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 ΔfH |
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 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 oxidizer.
Contents |
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.
- ^ Paul Lebeau; 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.
External links
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 6 August 2008, at 01:22.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Oxygen difluoride".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.