Arsenic pentafluoride


Arsenic pentafluoride is a chemical compound of arsenic and fluorine. It is a toxic, colorless gas. The oxidation state of arsenic is +5.

Synthesis

Arsenic pentafluoride can be prepared by direct combination of arsenic and fluorine:
It can also be prepared by the reaction of arsenic trifluoride and fluorine:
or the addition of fluorine to arsenic pentoxide or arsenic trioxide.

Properties

Arsenic pentafluoride is a colourless gas and has a trigonal bipyramidal structure. In the solid state the axial As−F bond lengths are 171.9 pm and the equatorial 166.8 pm. Its point group is D3h.

Reactions

Arsenic pentafluoride forms halide complexes and is a powerful fluoride acceptor. An example is the reaction with sulfur tetrafluoride, forming an ionic hexafluoroarsenate complex.