Gallium(III) fluoride

Gallium(III) fluoride
Other names

gallium trifluoride
Identifiers
CAS number 7783-51-9
PubChem 82211
ChemSpider 74191 Y
Jmol-3D images Image 1
Properties
Molecular formula GaF3
Molar mass 126.718 g/mol
Appearance white powder
Density 4.47 g/cm3
Melting point

800 °C
Boiling point

1000°C
Solubility in water 0.0002 g/100 mL
Structure
Crystal structure Rhombohedral, hR24
Space group R-3c, No. 167
Hazards
EU classification not listed
NFPA 704
0
3
2
 Y (verify) (what is: Y/N?)
Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa)
Infobox references

Gallium(III) fluoride (GaF3) is a chemical compound. A white solid it melts above 1000°C but sublimes around 950°C. It has the FeF3 structure where the gallium atoms are 6 coordinate. [1] GaF3 can be prepared by reacting F2 or HF with Ga2O3 or by thermal decomposition of (NH4)3GaF6.[2]GaF3 is virtually insoluble in water.[2] Solutions of GaF3 in HF can be evaporated to form the trihydrate, GaF3.3H2O which on heating gives a hydrated form of GaF2(OH).[2] Gallium(III) fluoride reacts with mineral acids to form the highly toxic hydrofluoric acid.

view along the an axis
view along the c axis
Ga coordination
F coordination

References

  1. ^ Greenwood, Norman N.; Earnshaw, Alan (1997). Chemistry of the Elements (2nd ed.). Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN 0080379419. 
  2. ^ a b c Anthony John Downs, (1993), Chemistry of Aluminium, Gallium, Indium, and Thallium, Springer, ISBN 9780751401035