Chemical use

    How is Bromine obtained ?

      Most bromine is obtained almost directly from ordinary sea water and brine mixtures left over from the production of potassium salts. The commercial process takes advantage of the fact that bromine ion (Br^-) in water are easily oxidized by chlorine to yield bromine gas (Br₂):

      2Br^- + Cl₂ ---- Br₂ + 2Cl^-

    The process of producing bromine gas begins by treating seawater with chlorine gas at a temperature slightly above the boiling point of bromine. The result is a mixture of bromine and chlorine gasses that separate as soon as you allow the mixture to cool to the point where the bromine liquifies but the chlorine remains a gas.

    Where additional refining is necessary, bromine gas is mixed with sulfur dioxide and forced up through a cylinder that has water running down the inside surface. The gasses react with the water to produce hydrobromic and sulfric acids:

     SO₂+ Br₂ + H₂O ---- 2HBr+ H₂SO₄

      Treatment with chlorine once again oxidizes the bromine to release bromine gas. The chlorine is then removed by passing the mixture over wet iron filings.

    Small amounts of bromine can be produced by reacting HBr and manganese dioxide:

    4HBr + MnO₂ ---- MNBr₂ + 2H₂O + Br₂    

   Chemical properties/reaction tendencies:

• Bromine is the only liquid nonmetallic element.

• The pure element is a reddish-brown liquid that volatilizes with a thick vapor at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. It is a heavy, mobile, reddish-brown liquid, volatilizing readily at room temperature to a red vapor with a strong disagreeable odor, resembling chlorine, and having a very irritating effect on the eyes and throat.

• It is readily soluble in water or carbon disulfide, forming a red solution, is less active than chlorine but more so than iodine.

• It unites readily with many elements and has a bleaching action; when spilled on the skin it produces painful sores.

• Bromine is one of the halogen that make up Group-VIIA on the periodic table of the elements.

• Like the other halogen gasses, bromine is diatomic. That is, its most stable molecular form Br₂ . The bromine ion, Br^-, combines with most metals with nearly the same vigor as chlorine. There is a bromine analogue for just about every compound of fluorine and chlorine.

Common and/or important compound involving the element

Some compounds of bromine:

• Sodium bromide, NaBr

• Potassium bromide, KBr

• Nickel (II) bromide, NiBr₂

• Magnese(II)bromide, MnBr₂

• Phosphorus(III)bromide, PBr₃

• Selenium(IV)bromide, SeBr₄

• Hydrobromic acid, HBr

• Silver bromide, AgBr

• Mineral Name and Chemical Formula:

Arzakite Hg3S2(Br,Cl)2                                       Bromargyriet AgBr ---- 42.55% Br ( MW = 187.7722 gm)

Capgaronnite HgAg(Cl,Br,I)S                              Comanchiete Hg13(Cl,Br)8O9

Embolite Ag(Br,Cl)                                             Grechishchevite Hg3S2(Br,Cl,I)2

Iltisite HgSAg(Cl,Br)                                           Kadyrelite Hg4(Br,Cl)2O

Kelyanite Hg36Sb3(Cl,Br)9O28                           Kuzminite Hg2(Br,Cl)2

Lavrentievite Hg3S2(Cl,Br)2                                Murdochite PbCu6O8-x(Cl,Br)2x

Perroudite Hg5-xAg4+xS5-x(Cl,I,Br)4+x