Vanadium(IV) fluoride ( V F₄) 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 ...

vanadium Vanadium is a chemical element with the symbol V and atomic number 23. It is a hard, silvery-grey, malleable transition metal. The elemental metal is rarely found in nature, but once isolated artificially, the formation of an oxide layer ( pas ...

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 ...

. It is

paramagnetic Paramagnetism is a form of magnetism whereby some materials are weakly attracted by an externally applied magnetic field, and form internal, induced magnetic fields in the direction of the applied magnetic field. In contrast with this behavior, d ...

yellow-brown solid that is very

hygroscopic Hygroscopy is the phenomenon of attracting and holding water molecules via either absorption or adsorption from the surrounding environment, which is usually at normal or room temperature. If water molecules become suspended among the substance ...

. Unlike the corresponding

vanadium tetrachloride Vanadium tetrachloride is the inorganic compound with the formula V Cl4. This bright red liquid serves as a useful reagent for the preparation of other vanadium compounds. Synthesis, bonding, basic properties With one more valence electron than ...

, the tetrafluoride is not volatile because it adopts a polymeric structure. It decomposes before melting.

Preparation and reactions

VF₄ can be prepared by treating VCl₄ with HF: :VCl₄ + 4 HF → VF₄ + 4 HCl It was first prepared in this way. It decomposes at 325 °C, undergoing disproportionation to the

tri- Numeral or number prefixes are prefixes derived from numerals or occasionally other numbers. In English and many other languages, they are used to coin numerous series of words. For example: * unicycle, bicycle, tricycle (1-cycle, 2-cycle, 3-cyc ...

and

pentafluoride Pentafluoride may refer to: * Antimony pentafluoride, SbF5 *Arsenic pentafluoride, AsF5 *Bismuth pentafluoride, BiF5 *Bromine pentafluoride, BrF5 *Chlorine pentafluoride, ClF5 *Chromium pentafluoride, CrF5 * Gold pentafluoride, Au2F10 *Iodine penta ...

s: :2 VF₄ → VF₃ + VF₅

Structure

The structure of VF₄ is related to that of SnF₄. Each vanadium centre is octahedral, surrounded by six fluoride ligands. Four of the fluoride centers

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

to adjacent vanadium centres.Becker S., Muller B. G. ''Vanadium Tetrafluoride'', Angew. Chem. Intnl. Ed. Engl. 1990, vol. 29, page 406

References

WebElements
* Vanadium(IV) compounds Fluorides Metal halides {{inorganic-compound-stub