Sulfuryl fluoride (also spelled sulphuryl fluoride) is an inorganic compound with the formula SO2F2. It is an easily condensed gas and has properties more similar to sulfur hexafluoride than sulfuryl chloride, being resistant to hydrolysis even up to 150 °C. It is neurotoxic and a potent greenhouse gas, but is widely used as a fumigant insecticide to control termites.
Structure, preparation, reactions The molecule is tetrahedral with C2v symmetry. The S-O distance is 140.5 pm, S-F is 153.0 pm. As predicted by VSEPR, the O-S-O angle is more open than the F-S-F angle, 124° and 97°, respectively. One synthesis begins with the preparation of potassium fluorosulfite:
SO2 + KF → KSO2F This salt is then chlorinated to give sulfuryl chloride fluoride:
KSO2F + Cl2 → SO2ClF + KCl Heating the sulfuryl chloride fluoride with potassium fluorosulfite at 180 °C gives the desired product:
SO2ClF + KSO2F → SO2F2 + KCl + SO2 Heating metal fluorosulfonate salts also gives this molecule:
Ba(OSO2F)2 → BaSO4 + SO2F2 It can be prepared by direct reaction of fluorine with sulfur dioxide:
SO2 + F2 → SO2F2 On a laboratory scale, sulfuryl fluoride has been conveniently prepared from 1,1'-sulfonyldiimidazole, in the presence of potassium fluoride and acid. Sulfuryl fluoride is unreactive toward molten sodium metal. Similarly it is slow to hydrolyze, but eventually converts to sulfur trioxide. Sulfuryl fluoride gas is a precursor to fluorosulfates and sulfamoyl fluorides:
SO2F2 + ROH + base → ROSO2F + Hbase+F−
Use as a fumigant Originally developed by the Dow Chemical Company, sulfuryl fluoride is in widespread use as a structural fumigant insecticide to control drywood termites, particularly in warm-weather portions of the southwestern and southeastern United States and in Hawaii. It has a non-specific mode of action (IRAC group 8C). Less commonly, it can also be used to control rodents, powderpost beetles, deathwatch beetles, bark beetles, and bedbugs. Its use has increased as a replacement for methyl bromide, which was phased out because of harm to the ozone layer. It is an alternative to the use of phosphine, which is acutely toxic.
Fumigation methodology During application, the building is enclosed and filled with the gas for a period of time, usually at least 16–18 hours, sometimes as long as 72 hours. The building must then be ventilated, generally for at least 6 hours, before occupants can return. California regulations are such that the tent will be on for three to five days, which includes ventilation. In the US, sulfuryl fluoride must be transported in a vehicle marked with "Inhalation Hazard 2" placards. Most states require a license or certification for the individual applying the fumigant. The concentration is continuously monitored and maintained at the specified level using electronic equipment. Possible leakages are also checked by low range electronic detectors. Reentry to the home is allowed when the concentration level is at or below 5 ppm. Sulfuryl fluoride is colorless and odorless, however, during the fumigation process, a warning agent called chloropicrin is first released into the building to ensure that no occupants remain. Tent fumigation is the most effective treatment for the extermination of known and unknown infestations of wood-destroying insects. Heat is the only other approved method for whole structure treatment for termites in California. Sulfuryl fluoride provides no protection from future infestations, although heavy re-infestation can take several years since drywood termites have slower growing colonies than ground termites.
U.S. perspective Sulfuryl fluoride is marketed in the U.S. by three manufacturers, under four different brand names. Vikane (Dow) (EPA Reg. No. 62719- 4-ZA) has been commercially available since the early 1960s, with Zythor (marketed by competitor Ensystex of North Carolina) (EPA Reg. No. 81824- 1-AA) being more recently introduced gradually as its use is approved by individual states (in Florida circa 2004, but not in California until October 2006, for example). Sulfuryl fluoride has been marketed as a post-harvest fumigant for dry fruits, nuts, and grains under the trade name ProFume (U.S. EPA Reg. No. 62719- 376-AA). Most recently Drexel Chemical Company has registered Master Fume (EPA Reg. No. 19713-596-AA) for the structural market, competing against Vikane and Zythor.
Health hazards Inhalation of sulfuryl fluoride is hazardous and may result in respiratory irritation, pulmonary edema, nausea, abdominal pain, central nervous system depression, numbness in the extremities, muscle twitching, seizures, and death. These high exposures occurred when people entered into structures illegally during fumigation or after insufficient aeration. Epidemiological studies showed that fumigation workers who used sulfuryl fluoride showed neurological effects, which included reduced performance on cognitive tests and pattern memory tests, and reduced olfactory function.
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