Hexafluorophosphazene is an

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 ...

with the formula . It takes the form of a white powder or lumps. It is sensitive to moisture and heat.

Structure

The molecule has a cyclic, unsaturated backbone consisting of alternating

phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Ear ...

and

nitrogen Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at se ...

centers, and can be viewed as a trimer of the hypothetical compound . Its classification as a

phosphazene Phosphazenes refer to classes of organophosphorus compounds featuring phosphorus(V) with a double bond between P and N. One class of phosphazenes have the formula . These phosphazenes are also known as iminophosphoranes and phosphine imides. They ar ...

highlights its relationship to

benzene Benzene is an organic chemical compound with the molecular formula C6H6. The benzene molecule is composed of six carbon atoms joined in a planar ring with one hydrogen atom attached to each. Because it contains only carbon and hydrogen atoms, ...

. Hexafluorophosphazene has a

hexagonal In geometry, a hexagon (from Greek , , meaning "six", and , , meaning "corner, angle") is a six-sided polygon. The total of the internal angles of any simple (non-self-intersecting) hexagon is 720°. Regular hexagon A '' regular hexagon'' has ...

ring with six equivalent P–N bonds. Each phosphorus atom is additionally bonded to two fluorine atoms. The molecule possesses D_3h symmetry, and each phosphorus center is tetrahedral. The ring in

hexachlorophosphazene Hexachlorophosphazene is an inorganic compound with the formula . The molecule has a cyclic, unsaturated backbone consisting of alternating phosphorus and nitrogen centers, and can be viewed as a trimer of the hypothetical compound . Its classif ...

deviates from planarity and is slightly ruffled (see

chair conformation In organic chemistry, cyclohexane conformations are any of several three-dimensional shapes adopted by molecules of cyclohexane. Because many compounds feature structurally similar six-membered rings, the structure and dynamics of cyclohexane are ...

). By contrast, the ring in hexafluorophosphazene is completely planar.

References

Fluorides Nitrogen heterocycles Inorganic compounds Nitrides Phosphorus heterocycles Six-membered rings Phosphazenes {{inorganic-compound-stub