Trifluoronitrosomethane (commonly abbreviated TFNM) is a toxic

organic compound In chemistry, organic compounds are generally any chemical compounds that contain carbon-hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds. Due to carbon's ability to catenate (form chains with other carbon atoms), millions of organic compounds are known. The ...

consisting of a

trifluoromethyl The trifluoromethyl group is a functional group that has the formula -CF3. The naming of is group is derived from the methyl group (which has the formula -CH3), by replacing each hydrogen atom by a fluorine atom. Some common examples are trifluorom ...

group covalently bound to a

nitroso In organic chemistry, nitroso refers to a functional group in which the nitric oxide () group is attached to an organic moiety. As such, various nitroso groups can be categorized as ''C''-nitroso compounds (e.g., nitrosoalkanes; ), ''S''-nitroso ...

group. Its distinctive deep blue color is unusual for a gas.

History

Trifluoronitrosomethane was synthesized for the first time in 1936 by

Otto Ruff Otto Ruff (12 December 1871 – 17 September 1939) was a German chemist. Life Otto Ruff was born in Schwäbisch Hall, Württemberg. After becoming a pharmacist under the supervision of Carl Magnus von Hell (known from the Hell-Volhard-Zelinsky ...

and Manfred Giese at the

University of Wrocław , ''Schlesische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität zu Breslau'' (before 1945) , free_label = Specialty programs , free = , colors = Blue , website uni.wroc.pl The University of Wrocław ( pl, Uniwersytet Wrocławski, U ...

. It was created through the

fluorination In chemistry, halogenation is a chemical reaction that entails the introduction of one or more halogens into a compound. Halide-containing compounds are pervasive, making this type of transformation important, e.g. in the production of polymers, ...

silver cyanide Silver cyanide is the chemical compound with the formula AgCN. It is a white solid that precipitated upon treatment of solutions containing Ag+ with cyanide, which is used in some schemes to recover silver from solution. Silver cyanide is used in ...

in the presence of

silver nitrate Silver nitrate is an inorganic compound with chemical formula . It is a versatile precursor to many other silver compounds, such as those used in photography. It is far less sensitive to light than the halides. It was once called ''lunar caustic' ...

and

silver oxide Silver oxide is the chemical compound with the formula Ag2O. It is a fine black or dark brown powder that is used to prepare other silver compounds. Preparation Silver oxide can be prepared by combining aqueous solutions of silver nitrate and a ...

Production

Trifluoronitrosomethane can be produced from the reaction of

trifluoroiodomethane Trifluoroiodomethane, also referred to as trifluoromethyl iodide is a halomethane with the formula CF3I. It is an experimental alternative to Halon 1301 (CBrF3) in unoccupied areas. It would be used as a gaseous fire suppression flooding agent fo ...

and

nitric oxide Nitric oxide (nitrogen oxide or nitrogen monoxide) is a colorless gas with the formula . It is one of the principal oxides of nitrogen. Nitric oxide is a free radical: it has an unpaired electron, which is sometimes denoted by a dot in its che ...

under a

UV light Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 PHz) to 400 nm (750 THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation i ...

with a yield of up to 90% in normal pressure. A small amount of mercury is needed as catalyst. The reaction results in the creation of

iodine Iodine is a chemical element with the symbol I and atomic number 53. The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists as a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid at standard conditions that melts to form a deep violet liquid at , and boils to a vi ...

as a by-product.

Properties

Although it is somewhat more kinetically stable due to its fluorine substituents, trifluoronitrosomethane, like other

compounds, has a weak C–N bond of only 39.9 kcal/mol.

Trifluoronitrosoethylene is also a similar deep blue gas.

References

External links

*{{Commons category-inline Trifluoromethyl compounds Nitroso compounds Gases with color Substances discovered in the 1930s

History

Production

Properties

Related

See also

References

External links