Br2O

dibromine monoxide · bromine monoxide

Dibromine monoxide is a metastable, semiconducting halogen oxide used primarily as a reactive intermediate in specialized chemical synthesis.

BrO
Crystal structure of Br2O (orthorhombic, Pna21 (No. 33))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About dibromine monoxide

Dibromine monoxide is a reactive inorganic oxide that exists as a metastable compound. Its electronic character as a semiconductor distinguishes it from more common, highly insulating halogen oxides, marking it as a subject of interest for specialized chemical synthesis and atmospheric studies.

Due to its inherent instability, this compound is primarily utilized in controlled laboratory environments. It serves as a critical intermediate in various halogenation reactions, where its unique bonding environment allows for precise chemical transformations that are difficult to achieve with more stable reagents.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for dibromine monoxide, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

1.39 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.044 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

Metastable
2 DFT sources

Structures

86
3 databases, 19 space groups
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for Br2O, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
Pna21 (No. 33)orthorhombic1.390.0443-2.8074.09
P-1 (No. 2)Triclinic8.26
P1 (No. 1)Triclinic4.02
Pc (No. 7)Monoclinic4.95
Pna21 (No. 33)Orthorhombic3.64
Pna21 (No. 33)Orthorhombic3.79
Pna21 (No. 33)Orthorhombic3.73
Cc (No. 9)Monoclinic7.75
Cc (No. 9)Monoclinic4.01
Cc (No. 9)Monoclinic4.98
Cm (No. 8)Monoclinic5.56
Pc (No. 7)Monoclinic7.75
Uses

Applications

Where dibromine monoxide is used.

Chemical synthesis intermediateAtmospheric chemistry researchHalogenation reagent
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about dibromine monoxide, answered from cross-validated data.

What is Br2O?

Dibromine monoxide is a metastable, semiconducting halogen oxide used primarily as a reactive intermediate in specialized chemical synthesis.

More questions
What is Br2O used for?
dibromine monoxide (Br2O) is used in chemical synthesis intermediate, atmospheric chemistry research, and halogenation reagent.
What is the band gap of Br2O?
dibromine monoxide (Br2O) has a DFT-computed band gap of 1.39 eV across 86 reported structures.
Is Br2O a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a band gap up to 1.39 eV it is a semiconductor.
Is Br2O thermodynamically stable?
dibromine monoxide (Br2O) has a lowest energy above hull of 0.044 eV/atom (metastable).
What is the crystal structure of Br2O?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of dibromine monoxide (Br2O) is orthorhombic symmetry, space group Pna21 (No. 33).
What is the density of Br2O?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of dibromine monoxide (Br2O) is 4.09 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of Br2O are known?
86 structures of Br2O are reported across 3 databases, spanning 19 distinct space groups.
What elements does Br2O contain?
dibromine monoxide (Br2O) contains Br and O (2 elements).
Where does the data for Br2O come from?
Br2O data is cross-referenced from materials_project, mpaloe, jarvis.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a member of the halogen oxide family, dibromine monoxide occupies a unique niche defined by its metastability and semiconducting nature. Unlike more stable, highly oxidized halogen species, this compound provides a reactive pathway for chemical synthesis, serving as a versatile building block in specialized inorganic research.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
  • mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (NIST). Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020).

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