Julian Collins

Science
Period 5
Chemical Reaction Project Essay
There are chemicals everywhere, in what we eat, what we touch,
and what we are. Atoms combine to form molecules making different
compounds. All of these compounds have undergone a chemical
reaction to be formed at one time or another. Atoms were rearranged
to create the molecular formulas and make completely different
substances. My chemical, chlorine tri-Fluoride, has many possible
reactions that can take place with other substances, and I shall explain
them in the following paragraphs.
Chlorine- Tri fluoride has many specific chemical reactions and
properties which make it quite unique. It boils with exposure to
air, and explodes when it comes in contact with water. It is lethal when
inhaled and when it decomposes it releases hydrofluoric acid. What
makes these reactions possible are the two major properties it
contains; being a very strong and unstable fluorination agent and
highly oxidizable (combustible). In order to understand many of the
reactions with this element these two properties must be explained.
Fluorination is the process in which the chemical reaction rips apart
other molecules taking hydrogen atoms in which to bond with fluorine.
Oxidizers are compounds that steal electrons from other chemicals in a
reaction making combustion possible. Both of these processes
(fluorination and oxidization) can be seen in the chemical reaction with
water, (ClF3 + 2H2O 3HF + HCl + O 2). As the reaction occurs the 3
fluorine atoms will rip the hydrogen atoms from the two water
molecules fulfilling the process of fluorination by creating bonds
between hydrogen and fluorine. The chlorine will provide the necessary
valance electron placement for the remaining hydrogen atom. Then
the oxidization process will take place, as the other electrons the
oxygen atoms were previously bonded with have been stolen, they will
bond to each other to fill out the VE layer.
There are also many traits that make this substance
identifiable. This substance comes in several different forms, as a
liquid or solid, both containing the same properties. This element
happens to have the trait of polar covalency, meaning that the atoms
have a slightly negative or positive charge while sharing valance
electrons, and also having a structure made of nonmetallic substances.
This material does not require much of an ignition source, as it only
needs a minimum of room temperature to start a chemical reaction,
and is extremely exothermic. Exothermic means that less energy is put
into the chemical reaction than what comes out. In this case so much

energy is released from the fluorine bonds that it can ignite from
combustion, and can burn at much higher temperatures than a regular
fire. It can burn at 2,400 Celsius, in which case it is considered to be
fluorine fire.
For Chlorine tri Fluoride there are only a few ways to speed up a
reaction or tell if it is occurring. The first signs of a chemical
reaction with this substance are boiling, explosion, or extreme releases
of thermal energy. Also there is a pungently, sweet suffocating
olfactory sensation, which will be emitted into the air as the chemical
reaction occurs. The only real way to increase the rate of speed of this
chemical reaction is to add heat and surface area. As this chemical
reaction occurs spontaneously it will not speed it up by a noticeable
amount.
I would like to leave my readers with some fun facts about its
previous and present uses, and the history of the chemical. This
chemical was originally named substance N and was discovered on the
Polish border of Nazi Germany. It was originally intended to be used in
flamethrowers, incendiary bombs and other weaponry. The Nazis
planned to have 60 tons produced per month but in the end only 30
tons were made through the whole war. Production was stopped after
they realized that the chemical reactions could harm their own troops.
In the semiconductor industry, chlorine tri fluoride is used to
clean chemical vapor deposition chambers; it burns and removes the
semiconductor material. ClF3 main use now is to produce uranium
hexafluoride, UF6, for nuclear fuel processing and reprocessing, by the
fluorination of uranium metal.
As a result of this unit and project, I have learned much about
molecules, atoms and the structure of our universe on a smaller scale.
I discovered how all of the little pieces fit together to make up our
world. My newfound knowledge has led me to understand that there is
much more to the nature of things in our everyday lives than what we
see. There was no better way for us to learn this subject than to have a
first hand experience in which we could explore the reasoning. And
that is what made this project and unit a most worthwhile experience.
http://www.ch.imperial.ac.uk/rzepa/blog/?p=10937
http://nj.gov/health/eoh/rtkweb/documents/fs/0370.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorine_trifluoride
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0117.html
http://cameochemicals.noaa.gov/chemical/372
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorine_trifluoride
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckSoDW2-wrc
I also used the Bibliography from Wikipedia.