I just read this article that mentioned that dioxygen difluoride is very dangerous. The terms it uses are "awful", "violently hideous" and "deeply alarming".
But I couldn't get a handle on exactly what it would do that warrants those descriptions.
Answer
$\ce {O_2F_2}$ doesn't spontaneously combust. It is a supporter of combustion, which means that it's basically a better version of oxygen when it comes to supporting fires.
Basically, when placed in contact with $\ce{O_2F_2}$, other materials spontaneously combust. Here's an analogy: Substances such as nitroglycerin and TNT are like a person with a short temper. They are easy to combust. Substances like $\ce{ClF3}$ and $\ce{O_2F_2}$, on the other hand, are like a person with a knack of making others lose their temper. Mild-mannered on his own, but he can make people around him combust with relative ease.
It still can be prepared, though, because it becomes a lot more mellow at low temperatures. Also, it won't act on stuff which is already a good oxidizing agent (oxygen, ozone, fluorine, sulfuric acid for example), or at least it won't act so vigorously. Coupling these two together, one can probably prepare it in a low temperature environment inside a container lined with a relatively inert material.
Update:
(h/t to KeithS for pointing this out)
Note that $\ce{O2F2}$ has problems on its own as well. It decomposes when on its own to $\ce{OF2}$. Generally, when $\ce{O2F2}$ is oxidising something, it is really the $\ce{OF2}$ which does this (though $\ce{O2F2}$ is strong enough to do the same as well).
After burning something, $\ce{OF2}$ leaves behind some dangerous residues as well, like $\ce{HF}$ (which will eat through most of the material that was saved from burning)
(There are more details in @KeithS' answer)
No comments:
Post a Comment