Polonium hexafluoride (PoF₆) is a possible

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 ...

polonium Polonium is a chemical element with the symbol Po and atomic number 84. Polonium is a chalcogen. A rare and highly radioactive metal with no stable isotopes, polonium is chemically similar to selenium and tellurium, though its metallic character ...

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 ...

and one of the seventeen known binary

hexafluoride A hexafluoride is a chemical compound with the general formula QXnF6, QXnF6m−, or QXnF6m+. Many molecules fit this formula. An important hexafluoride is hexafluorosilicic acid (H2SiF6), which is a byproduct of the mining of phosphate rock. In ...

Synthesis

The synthesis of PoF₆ via the reaction : + 3 → was attempted in 1945, but the attempt was unsuccessful. The boiling point was predicted to be about −40 °C. ²⁰⁸PoF₆ was probably successfully synthesised via the same reaction in 1960 with the more stable isotope ²⁰⁸Po, where a volatile polonium fluoride was produced, but it was not fully characterized before it underwent

radiolysis Radiolysis is the dissociation of molecules by ionizing radiation. It is the cleavage of one or several chemical bonds resulting from exposure to high-energy flux. The radiation in this context is associated with ionizing radiation; radiolysis is ...

and decomposed to polonium tetrafluoride.

References

{{Polonium compounds Polonium compounds Metal halides Hexafluorides Chalcohalides Substances discovered in the 1960s