Berkelium(III) fluoride is a binary

inorganic compound In chemistry, an inorganic compound is typically a chemical compound that lacks carbon–hydrogen bonds, that is, a compound that is not an organic compound. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as '' inorganic chemist ...

berkelium Berkelium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with the symbol Bk and atomic number 97. It is a member of the actinide and transuranium element series. It is named after the city of Berkeley, California, the location of the Lawrence Berke ...

and

fluorine Fluorine is a chemical element with the symbol F and atomic number 9. It is the lightest halogen and exists at standard conditions as a highly toxic, pale yellow diatomic gas. As the most electronegative reactive element, it is extremely reacti ...

with the chemical formula .

Synthesis

The compound can be prepared by treating with a gaseous mixture of and HF at 600 °C.

Physical properties

Berkelium trifluoride forms a yellow-green solid with two structures. At low temperature, it is orthorhombic ( structure), with lattice parameters a = 670 pm, b = 709 pm, and c = 441 pm. At high temperature, it is trigonal ( structure), with lattice parameters a = 697 pm and c = 714 pm. The transition temperature of is between 350 and 600 °C.

Chemical properties

Berkelium trifluoride is reduced by

lithium Lithium (from el, λίθος, lithos, lit=stone) is a chemical element with the symbol Li and atomic number 3. It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. Under standard conditions, it is the least dense metal and the least dense solid el ...

to obtain metallic berkelium: ::

References

{{Actinide halides Fluorides Berkelium compounds Actinide halides