Thiothionyl fluoride is a
chemical compound
A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element ...
of
fluorine
Fluorine is a chemical element with the symbol F and atomic number 9. It is the lightest halogen and exists at standard conditions as a highly toxic, pale yellow diatomic gas. As the most electronegative reactive element, it is extremely reacti ...
and
sulfur
Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formula ...
and an
isomer
In chemistry, isomers are molecules or polyatomic ions with identical molecular formulae – that is, same number of atoms of each element – but distinct arrangements of atoms in space. Isomerism is existence or possibility of isomers.
Iso ...
of
disulfur difluoride.
Preparation
Thiothionyl fluoride can be obtained from the reaction between
disulfur dichloride
Disulfur dichloride is the inorganic compound of sulfur and chlorine with the Chemical formula, formula S2Cl2.
Some alternative names for this compound are ''sulfur monochloride'' (the name implied by its empirical formula, SCl), ''disulphur dich ...
with
potassium fluoride
Potassium fluoride is the chemical compound with the formula KF. After hydrogen fluoride, KF is the primary source of the fluoride ion for applications in manufacturing and in chemistry. It is an alkali halide and occurs naturally as the rare m ...
at about 150 °C or with
mercury(II) fluoride
Mercury(II) fluoride has the molecular formula HgF2 as a chemical compound of one atom of mercury with 2 atoms of fluorine.
Synthesis
Mercury(II) fluoride is most commonly produced by the reaction of mercury(II) oxide and hydrogen fluoride:
:Hg ...
at 20 °C.
: S
2Cl
2 + 2 KF → SSF
2 + 2 KCl
Another possible preparation is by the reaction of
nitrogen trifluoride with sulfur.
: NF
3 + 3 S → SSF
2 + NSF
It also forms from disulfur difluoride when in contact with alkali metal fluorides.
Properties
Thiothionyl fluoride is a colorless gas.
At high temperatures and pressures, it decomposes into
sulfur tetrafluoride
Sulfur tetrafluoride is the chemical compound with the formula S F4. It is a colorless corrosive gas that releases dangerous HF upon exposure to water or moisture. Despite these unwelcome characteristics, this compound is a useful reagent for t ...
and sulfur.
: 2 SSF
2 → SF
4 + 3 S
With
hydrogen fluoride
Hydrogen fluoride (fluorane) is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . This colorless gas or liquid is the principal industrial source of fluorine, often as an aqueous solution called hydrofluoric acid. It is an important feedstock i ...
, it forms sulfur tetrafluoride and
hydrogen sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide is a chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless chalcogen-hydride gas, and is poisonous, corrosive, and flammable, with trace amounts in ambient atmosphere having a characteristic foul odor of rotten eggs. The unde ...
.
[{{Cite book, last=Kolditz, first=Lothar, title=Anorganische Chemie, publisher=Deutscher Verlag der Wissenchaften, year=1983, location=Berlin, pages=468]
: SSF
2 + 2 HF → SF
4, + H
2S
References
Sulfur compounds
Fluorine compounds