Trifluoroiodomethane
Chemical compound
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.[1] It would be used as a gaseous fire suppression flooding agent for in-flight aircraft and electronic equipment fires.
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| Names | |||
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| Preferred IUPAC name
Trifluoro(iodo)methane | |||
| Other names
Trifluoroiodomethane Iodotrifluoromethane Monoiodotrifluoromethane Trifluoromethyl iodide Perfluoromethyl iodide Freon 13T1 | |||
| Identifiers | |||
3D model (JSmol) |
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| ChemSpider | |||
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.017.286 | ||
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| UNII | |||
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
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| Properties | |||
| CF3I | |||
| Molar mass | 195.91 g/mol | ||
| Appearance | Colorless odorless gas | ||
| Density | 2.5485 g/cm3 at -78.5 °C 2.3608 g/cm3 at -32.5 °C | ||
| Melting point | −110 °C (−166 °F; 163 K) | ||
| Boiling point | −22.5 °C (−8.5 °F; 250.7 K) | ||
| Slightly | |||
| Vapor pressure | 541 kPa | ||
| Hazards | |||
| GHS labelling: | |||
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| Warning | |||
| H341 | |||
| P201, P202, P281, P308+P313, P405, P501 | |||
| Supplementary data page | |||
| Trifluoroiodomethane (data page) | |||
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Chemistry
It is used in the rhodium-catalyzed α-trifluoromethylation of α,β-unsaturated ketones.[2]
It can be used as a new generation fire extinguishing agent to replace Halon in fire protection systems.[3] The mechanism of extinguishing fires for CF3I is active and primarily based on interruption of the chain reaction in the combustion area of the flame by so-called "negative" catalytic action.[4] It is also used as an eco-friendly insulation gas to replace SF6 in electrical power industry.[5]
In the presence of sunlight or at temperatures above 100 °C it can react with water, forming hazardous by-products such as hydrogen fluoride (HF), hydrogen iodide (HI) and carbonyl fluoride (COF2).[citation needed]
Environmental effects
Trifluoroiodomethane contains carbon, fluorine, and iodine atoms. Although iodine is several hundred times more efficient at destroying stratospheric ozone than chlorine, experiments have shown that because the weak C-I bond breaks easily under the influence of water (owing to the electron-attracting fluorine atoms), trifluoroiodomethane has an ozone depleting potential less than one-thousandth that of Halon 1301 (0.008-0.01). Its atmospheric lifetime, at less than 1 month, is less than 1 percent that of Halon 1301, and less even than hydrogen chloride formed from volcanoes.
There is, however, still the problem of the C-F bonds absorbing in the atmospheric window.[6] However, the IPCC has calculated the 100-year global warming potential of trifluoroiodomethane to be 0.4 (i.e., 40% of that of CO2).[7]