Bromoform
Bromoform is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is a colorless liquid at room temperature, with a high refractive index and a very high density. Its sweet odor is similar to that of chloroform. It is one of the four haloforms, the others being fluoroform, chloroform, and iodoform. It is a brominated organic solvent. Currently its main use is as a laboratory reagent. It is very slightly soluble in water (one part bromoform in 800 parts water) and is miscible with alcohol, benzene, chloroform, ether, petroleum ether, acetone and oils. Structure The molecule adopts tetrahedral molecular geometry with C3v symmetry. Synthesis Bromoform can be prepared by the haloform reaction using acetone and sodium hypobromite, by the electrolysis of potassium bromide in ethanol, or by treating chloroform with aluminium bromide. Uses Only small quantities of bromoform are currently produced industrially in the United States. In the past, it was used as a solvent, sedative and flame retardant, but now it is mainly used as a laboratory reagent, for example as an extraction solvent. Bromoform also has medical uses; injections of bromoform are sometimes used instead of epinephrine to treat severe asthma cases. Bromoform's high density makes it useful