Aluminium monofluoride, also known as fluoridoaluminium, is the
chemical compound
A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element ...
with the
formula
In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a ''chemical formula''. The informal use of the term ''formula'' in science refers to the general construct of a relationship betwee ...
AlF. This elusive species is formed by the reaction between
aluminium trifluoride
Aluminium fluoride refers to inorganic compounds with the formula AlF3·''x''H2O. They are all colorless solids. Anhydrous AlF3 is used in the production of aluminium metal. Several occur as minerals.
Occurrence and production
Aside from anhydr ...
and metallic
aluminium
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...
at elevated temperatures but quickly reverts to the reactants when cooled.
Clusters derived from related aluminium(I)
halides
In chemistry, a halide (rarely halogenide) is a binary chemical compound, of which one part is a halogen atom and the other part is an element or radical that is less electronegative (or more electropositive) than the halogen, to make a fluor ...
can be stabilized using specialized
ligand
In coordination chemistry, a ligand is an ion or molecule (functional group) that binds to a central metal atom to form a coordination complex. The bonding with the metal generally involves formal donation of one or more of the ligand's electr ...
s.
This molecule has been detected in the
interstellar medium
In astronomy, the interstellar medium is the matter and radiation that exist in the space between the star systems in a galaxy. This matter includes gas in ionic, atomic, and molecular form, as well as dust and cosmic rays. It fills interstella ...
, where molecules are so dilute that intermolecular
collisions
In physics, a collision is any event in which two or more bodies exert forces on each other in a relatively short time. Although the most common use of the word ''collision'' refers to incidents in which two or more objects collide with great f ...
are unimportant.
See also
*
Aluminium monobromide
Aluminium monobromide is a chemical compound with the empirical formula AlBr. It forms from the reaction of HBr with Al metal at high temperature. It disproportionates near room temperature:
:6/n " lBrsub>n" → Al2Br6 + 4 Al
This reaction i ...
*
Aluminium monochloride
Aluminium monochloride, or chloridoaluminium is the metal halide with the formula AlCl. Aluminum monochloride as a molecule is thermodynamically stable at high temperature and low pressure only. This compound is produced as a step in the Alcan p ...
*
Aluminium monoiodide
Aluminium monoiodide is an aluminium(I) compound with the chemical formula AlI. It is unstable at room temperature due to dismutation:
:6AlI -> + 4Al
It forms a cyclic adduct Al4I4(NEt3)4 with triethylamine.
See also
*Aluminium monofluoride
* A ...
References
Aluminium(I) compounds
Fluorides
Metal halides
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