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Chlorine monofluoride
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<h2 id="geometry">Geometry</h2> <p>The molecular structure in the gas phase was determined by microwave spectroscopy; the bond length is <i>r</i>e = 1.628341(4) <a href="/facts/Angstrom/T5mjdd97">Å</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> </p><p>The bond length in the crystalline ClF is 1.628(1) Å; the lengthening relative to the free molecule is due to an interaction of the type F-Br···ClMe with a distance of 2.640(1) Å. In its molecular packing it shows very short intermolecular Cl···Cl contacts of 3.070(1) Å between neighboring molecules.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="reactivity">Reactivity</h2> <p>Chlorine monofluoride is a versatile <a href="/facts/Halogenation/vYrGVWcJ">fluorinating agent</a>, converting metals and non-metals to their fluorides and releasing Cl2 in the process. For example, it converts <a href="/facts/Tungsten/WYwbNDYX">tungsten</a> to <a href="/facts/Tungsten_hexafluoride/Hf0S5IVa">tungsten hexafluoride</a> and <a href="/facts/Selenium/k975NApC">selenium</a> to <a href="/facts/Selenium_tetrafluoride/9jDr8mE2">selenium tetrafluoride</a>: </p> W + 6 ClF → WF6 + 3 Cl2 Se + 4 ClF → SeF4 + 2 Cl2 <p>FCl can also chlorofluorinate compounds, either by addition across a <a href="/facts/Bond_order/Tdb1zgTc">multiple bond</a> or via <a href="/facts/Redox/Pyd5RVcj">oxidation</a>. For example, it adds fluorine and chlorine to the carbon of <a href="/facts/Carbon_monoxide/CKuLtEMJ">carbon monoxide</a>, yielding carbonyl chloride fluoride COClF, an intermediate between <a href="/facts/Phosgene/Adeazsck">phosgene</a> and <a href="/facts/Carbonyl_fluoride/j2hMtwDS">carbonyl fluoride</a>. </p> CO + ClF → <h2 id="safety">Safety</h2> <p>Chlorine monofluoride is extremely reactive. It instantly destroys <a href="/facts/Silicon_dioxide/A3WILp6J">glass</a> and ignites organic material on contact, reacts violently with water, is highly corrosive to mucous membranes and the skin, eyes, and respiratory tract, and may cause permanent blindness.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Chlorine_fluoride/aQY5M6l6">Chlorine fluorides</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Oxygen_monofluoride/HELDpHRD">Oxygen monofluoride</a></li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060116134617/http://www.npi.gov.au/database/substance-info/profiles/44.html">National Pollutant Inventory - Fluoride and compounds fact sheet</a></li> <li><a href="https://webbook.nist.gov/cgi/cbook.cgi?ID=C7790898">WebBook page for FCl</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Otto Ruff, E. Ascher (1928). "Über ein neues Chlorfluorid-CIF3". Zeitschrift für anorganische und allgemeine Chemie. 176 (1): 258–270. doi:10.1002/zaac.19281760121. <a href="/wiki/Otto_Ruff" target="_blank">/wiki/Otto_Ruff</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Willis, Robert E.; Clark, William W. (May 1980). "Millimeter wave measurements of the rotational spectra of ClF, BrF, BrCl, ICl, and IBr". The Journal of Chemical Physics. 72 (9): 4946–4950. Bibcode:1980JChPh..72.4946W. doi:10.1063/1.439780. ISSN 0021-9606. <a href="https://pubs.aip.org/aip/jcp/article/72/9/4946-4950/790283" target="_blank">https://pubs.aip.org/aip/jcp/article/72/9/4946-4950/790283</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Boese, Roland; Boese, A. Daniel; Bláser, Dieter; Antipin, Michail Yu.; Ellern, Arkadi; Seppelt, Konrad (1997-08-04). "The Surprising Crystal Packing of Chlorinefluoride". Angewandte Chemie International Edition in English. 36 (1314): 1489–1492. doi:10.1002/anie.199714891. ISSN 0570-0833. <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/anie.199714891" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/anie.199714891</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Chlorine-monofluoride <a href="https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Chlorine-monofluoride" target="_blank">https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Chlorine-monofluoride</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>