Dinitrogen difluoride is a
chemical compound with the formula N
2F
2. It is a gas at room temperature, and was first identified in 1952 as the
thermal decomposition product of the
azide N
3F. It has the structure F-N=N-F and exists in both a
cis- and
trans-form. The
cis configuration lies in a C
2v symmetry and the
trans-form has a symmetry of C
2h. These isomers are thermally interconvertible but can be separated by low temperature
fractionation. The
trans-form is less thermodynamically stable but can be stored in glass vessels. The
cis-form attacks glass over a time scale of about 2 weeks to form
silicon tetrafluoride and
nitrous oxide:
- 2 N2F2 + SiO2 → SiF4 + 2 N2O