Difluorophosphoric acid explained

Difluorophosphoric acid is an inorganic compound with the formula . It is a mobile colorless strongly fuming liquid.[1] The acid has limited applications, in part because it is thermally and hydrolytically unstable.[2] Difluorophosphoric acid is corrosive to glass, fabric, metals and living tissue.

A method to make pure difluorphosphoric acid involves heating phosphoryl fluoride with fluorophosphoric acid and separating the product by distillation:[3]

It is prepared by hydrolysis of phosphoryl fluoride:

Further hydrolysis gives fluorophosphoric acid:

Complete hydrolysis gives phosphoric acid:

The salts of difluorophosphoric acid are known as difluorophosphates.

References

  1. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Difluorophosphoric-acid
  2. Encyclopedia: Fluorine Compounds, Inorganic, Phosphorus. Charles B. Lindahl . Tariq Mahmood . Kirk‐Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology. 2000. 10.1002/0471238961.1608151912091404.a01. 0-471-23896-1.
  3. Lange. Willy. Livingston. Ralph. Studies of Fluorophosphoric Acids and their Derivatives. XIV. Preparation of Anhydrous Difluorophosphoric Acid. Journal of the American Chemical Society. March 1950. 72. 3. 1280–1281. 10.1021/ja01159a057.