Iodine trifluoride is an
interhalogen compound with the chemical formula IF
3. It is a yellow solid which decomposes above −28 °C. It can be synthesised from the elements, but care must be taken to avoid the formation of
IF5.
Reactions
F2 reacts with
I2 to yield IF
3 at −45 °C in
CCl3F. Alternatively, at low temperatures, the fluorination reaction I
2 + 3
XeF2 → 2IF
3 + 3
Xe can be used. Not much is known about iodine trifluoride as it is so unstable.
Structure
The iodine atom of iodine trifluoride has five electron pairs, of which two are lone-pairs, and the molecule is T-shaped as predicted by
VSEPR Theory
Valence shell electron pair repulsion (VSEPR) theory ( , ), is a model used in chemistry to predict the geometry of individual molecules from the number of electron pairs surrounding their central atoms. It is also named the Gillespie-Nyholm the ...
.
References
{{Fluorine compounds
Fluorides
Interhalogen compounds
Iodine compounds