Vanadium(III) fluoride

Vanadium fluoride is the chemical compound with the formula VF₃. It is a yellow-green crystalline solid with hexacoordinate vanadium atoms and bridging fluorine atoms. The magnetic moment indicates the presence of two unpaired electrons. Similar to other transition-metal fluorides, it exhibits magnetic ordering at low temperatures.

Preparation

Vanadium fluoride is obtained in a two-step procedure from V₂O₃.
The first step entails conversion to the hexafluorovanadate salt using ammonium bifluoride:
In the second step, the hexafluorovanadate is thermally decomposed.
The thermal decomposition of ammonium salts is a relatively common method for the preparation of inorganic solids.
It can also be prepared by treatment of V₂O₃ with HF.