Gold(V) fluoride is the inorganic compound with the formula Au₂F₁₀. This fluoride compound features

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

in its highest known

oxidation state In chemistry, the oxidation state, or oxidation number, is the hypothetical charge of an atom if all of its bonds to different atoms were fully ionic. It describes the degree of oxidation (loss of electrons) of an atom in a chemical compound. C ...

. This red solid dissolves in hydrogen fluoride but these solutions decompose, liberating fluorine. The structure of gold(V) fluoride in the solid state is

centrosymmetric In crystallography, a centrosymmetric point group contains an inversion center as one of its symmetry elements. In such a point group, for every point (x, y, z) in the unit cell there is an indistinguishable point (-x, -y, -z). Such point g ...

with hexacoordinated gold and an octahedral arrangement of the fluoride centers on each gold center. It is the only known dimeric pentafluoride, although sulfur can form

disulfur decafluoride Disulfur decafluoride is a chemical compound with the formula . It was discovered in 1934 by Denbigh and Whytlaw-Gray. Each sulfur atom of the molecule is octahedral, and surrounded by five fluorine atoms and one sulfur atom. The two sulfur ato ...

; other pentafluorides are monomeric ( P, As, Sb, Cl, Br, I), tetrameric ( Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Tc, Re, Ru, Os, Rh, Ir, Pt), or polymeric ( Bi, V, U). In the gas phase, a mixture of dimer and trimer in the ratio 82:18 has been observed. Gold pentafluoride is the strongest known fluoride ion acceptor, exceeding the acceptor tendency of even antimony pentafluoride.

Synthesis

Gold(V) fluoride can be synthesized by heating gold metal in an atmosphere of oxygen and fluorine to 370 °C at 8 atmospheres to form dioxygenyl hexafluoroaurate: :Au(s) + O₂(g) + 3 F₂(g) → O₂AuF₆(s) This salt decomposes at 180 °C to produce the pentafluoride: : 2 O₂AuF₆(s) → Au₂F₁₀ (s) + 2 O₂(g) + F₂(g)

Krypton difluoride Krypton difluoride, KrF2 is a chemical compound of krypton and fluorine. It was the first compound of krypton discovered. It is a volatile, colourless solid at room temperature. The structure of the KrF2 molecule is linear, with Kr−F distances ...

can also oxidise

to the +5 oxidation state: : 7 (g) + 2 Au (s) → 2 KrFAuF (s) + 5 Kr (g) KrFAuF decomposes at 60 °C into gold(V) fluoride and gaseous krypton and fluorine: :2 KrFAuF → (s) + 2 Kr (g) + 2 (g)

References

{{Fluorine compounds Fluorides Metal halides Gold compounds Gold–halogen compounds