A ZAU ARTCC CTLR BECOMES DISTR AND HANDS AN ACFT OFF TO ZMP ARTCC LATE.

Narrative

ACFT AT FL390 WAS IN CROSSTELL; AS I ASSUMED CTL OF THE SECTOR; TO AN ADJACENT SECTOR/CTR. TIME WAS APPROX XA00. THERE WAS MUCH DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITY IN THE AREA; AS IT WAS A CHANGE IN SHIFT TIME. PEOPLE WERE MILLING ABOUT AND IT WAS RATHER LOUD AND DISTRACTING. AT THE TIME; MY SECTOR WAS BUSY WITH MANY ACFT NEEDING CLB OR DSCNT CLRNCS. I BECAME QUITE INVOLVED IN GETTING ACFT ON THE 'RIGHT' SIDE OF EACH OTHER. WHEN THERE WAS A BIT OF A LULL; I NOTICED THAT THE ACFT THAT WAS IN CROSSTELL WAS GETTING CLOSE TO THE EDGE OF MY AIRSPACE AND THE HDOF HAD NOT YET BEEN ACCEPTED. I THEN NOTICED THAT THE ACFT WAS FLASHING TO A SECTOR THAT HAD SUBSEQUENTLY CLOSED. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE SECTOR THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECEIVING THE HDOF; AND IN THE MEANTIME TRIED TO FLASH THE ACFT AT THE APPROPRIATE SECTOR. THE HDOF WAS FAILING; BUT I WAS THEN TALKING TO THE ACCEPTING CTLR WHO CALLED 'RADAR CONTACT' ON THE ACFT. I WAS THEN ABLE TO ALSO AUTO-HDOF THE ACFT. IN THE PROCESS OF ALL OF THIS; I AM NOT CERTAIN THAT THE ACFT WAS IN THE PRESCRIBED DISTANCE WITHIN MY AIRSPACE FOR A HDOF. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THE NOISE AND ACTIVITY DURING A DISRUPTIVE SHIFT CHANGE. IN THE FUTURE; I WILL BE MORE DILIGENT NOT TO HAVE THE NOISE AND COMMOTION BE A DETERRENT TO VIGILANCE.