Carbon oxohalides are a group of chemical compounds that contain only carbon, oxygen and halogen atoms: fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine. They include carbonyl halides, COX2, and oxalyl halides, C2X2O2, where X = F, Cl, Br or I. The halogen atoms X do not have to be identical; they differ in mixed oxohalides. Most combinations of halogens exist but carbonyl iodide, COI2, is unknown. The carbon–oxygen bond length in carbonyl halides (1.13–1.17 Å)[1] is shorter than in other carbonyl compounds[2] such as aldehydes and ketones, carboxylic acids, esters and amides (1.20–1.21 Å).[3] They are reactive reagents for halogenation,[1] acylation and dehydration reactions.[4]
Name | Formula | Melting point / °C | Boiling point / °C | C–O bond length / Å |
---|---|---|---|---|
Carbonyl fluoride | COF2 | −114 | −83.1 | 1.174 |
Carbonyl chloride fluoride | COFCl | −42 | ||
Carbonyl bromide fluoride | COFBr | −20.6 | ||
Phosgene | COCl2 | −127.8 | +7.6 | 1.166 |
Carbonyl iodide fluoride | COFI | −90 | +23.4 | |
Carbonyl bromide chloride | COClBr | |||
Carbonyl bromide | COBr2 | +64.5 | 1.13 | |
Oxalyl fluoride | C2F2O2 | −3 | +26.6 | |
Oxalyl chloride | C2Cl2O2 | −16 | +63 | |
Diphosgene | C2Cl4O2 | −57 | +128 | |
Triphosgene | C3Cl6O3 | +80 | +206 |