Chromium fluoride is the name for the inorganic compound

Inorganic compound

Inorganic compounds have traditionally been considered to be of inanimate, non-biological origin. In contrast, organic compounds have an explicit biological origin. However, over the past century, the classification of inorganic vs organic compounds has become less important to scientists,...

s with the formula CrF₃ as well as several related hydrate

Hydrate

Hydrate is a term used in inorganic chemistry and organic chemistry to indicate that a substance contains water. The chemical state of the water varies widely between hydrates, some of which were so labeled before their chemical structure was understood....

s. The compound CrF₃ is a green crystalline solid that is insoluble in common solvents, but the coloured hydrates [Cr(H₂O)₆]F₃ and [Cr(H₂O)₆]F₃^.3H₂O are soluble in water. The trihydrate is green, and the hexahydrate is violet The anhydrous form sublimes at 1100-1200 °C. Like almost all compounds of chromium(III), these compounds feature octahedral

Octahedral molecular geometry

In chemistry, octahedral molecular geometry describes the shape of compounds where in six atoms or groups of atoms or ligands are symmetrically arranged around a central atom, defining the vertices of an octahedron...

 Cr centres. In the anhydrous form, the six coordination sites are occupied by fluoride ligand

Ligand

In coordination chemistry, a ligand is an ion or molecule that binds to a central metal atom to form a coordination complex. The bonding between metal and ligand generally involves formal donation of one or more of the ligand's electron pairs. The nature of metal-ligand bonding can range from...

s that bridge to adjacent Cr centres. In the hydrates, some or all of the fluoride ligands are replaced by water.

Production

Chromium(III) fluoride is produced from the reaction of chromium(III) oxide

Chromium(III) oxide

Chromium oxide is the inorganic compound of the formula Cr2O3. It is one of principal oxides of chromium and is used as a pigment. In nature, it occurs as the rare mineral eskolaite.-Structure and properties:...

 and hydrofluoric acid

Hydrofluoric acid

Hydrofluoric acid is a solution of hydrogen fluoride in water. It is a valued source of fluorine and is the precursor to numerous pharmaceuticals such as fluoxetine and diverse materials such as PTFE ....

:

Cr₂O₃ + 6 HF + 9 H₂O → 2 [Cr(H₂O)₆]F₃

The anhydrous form is produced from hydrogen fluoride

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...

and chromic chloride:

CrCl₃ + 3 HF → CrF₃ + 3 HCl

Uses

Chromium(III) fluoride is not heavily used, but finds some applications as a mordant in textiles and as a corrosion inhibitor.