Chlorine pentafluoride
Encyclopedia
Chlorine pentafluoride is an interhalogen compound with formula ClF5. It was first synthesized in 1963.

Its square pyramidal structure with C4v symmetry was confirmed by its high resolution19F NMR spectrum.

Preparation

Initially, a common method for synthesis of this hypervalent molecule
Hypervalent molecule
A hypervalent molecule is a molecule that contains one or more main group elements formally bearing more than eight electrons in their valence shells...

 was to react ClF3
Chlorine trifluoride
Chlorine trifluoride is an interhalogen compound with the formula ClF3. This colourless, poisonous, corrosive and very reactive gas condenses to a pale-greenish yellow liquid, the form in which it is most often sold...

 with F2
Fluorine
Fluorine is the chemical element with atomic number 9, represented by the symbol F. It is the lightest element of the halogen column of the periodic table and has a single stable isotope, fluorine-19. At standard pressure and temperature, fluorine is a pale yellow gas composed of diatomic...

 at high temperatures and high pressures. Also, reacting metal fluorides, MClF4 (i.e. KClF4, RbClF4, CsClF4) with F2 produced ClF5 and the corresponding MF. In 1981, researchers found that NiF2
Nickel(II) fluoride
Nickel fluoride is the chemical compound with the formula NiF2. Unlike many fluorides, NiF2 is stable in air. NiF2 comprises the passivating surface that forms on nickel alloys, e.g. monel, which is why such materials are good to store or transport hydrogen fluoride or elemental fluorine...

 is an excellent catalyst for generating ClF5.

Reactions

ClF5 reacts violently with water to produce FClO4
Fluorine perchlorate
Fluorine perchlorate is the rarely encountered chemical compound of fluorine, chlorine, and oxygen with chemical formula or . It is an extremely unstable gas that explodes spontaneously, and has a penetrating odor.- Synthesis :...

 and HF
Hydrogen fluoride
Hydrogen fluoride is a chemical compound with the formula HF. This colorless gas is the principal industrial source of fluorine, often in the aqueous form as hydrofluoric acid, and thus is the precursor to many important compounds including pharmaceuticals and polymers . HF is widely used in the...

. It is also a strong fluorinating agent. While unreactive with first row nonmetal
Nonmetal
Nonmetal, or non-metal, is a term used in chemistry when classifying the chemical elements. On the basis of their general physical and chemical properties, every element in the periodic table can be termed either a metal or a nonmetal...

s except carbon and boron, it reacts readily with second and third row nonmetals at room temperature except chlorine
Chlorine
Chlorine is the chemical element with atomic number 17 and symbol Cl. It is the second lightest halogen, found in the periodic table in group 17. The element forms diatomic molecules under standard conditions, called dichlorine...

.

External links

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