The bifluoride ion is an

inorganic An inorganic compound is typically a chemical compound that lacks carbon–hydrogen bonds⁠that is, a compound that is not an organic compound. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as '' inorganic chemistry''. Inor ...

anion An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conven ...

with the

chemical formula A chemical formula is a way of presenting information about the chemical proportions of atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound or molecule, using chemical element symbols, numbers, and sometimes also other symbols, such as pare ...

. The anion is colorless. Salts of bifluoride are commonly encountered in the reactions of fluoride salts with hydrofluoric acid. The commercial production of

fluorine Fluorine is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol F and atomic number 9. It is the lightest halogen and exists at Standard temperature and pressure, standard conditions as pale yellow Diatomic molecule, diatomic gas. Fluorine is extre ...

involves

electrolysis In chemistry and manufacturing, electrolysis is a technique that uses Direct current, direct electric current (DC) to drive an otherwise non-spontaneous chemical reaction. Electrolysis is commercially important as a stage in the separation of c ...

of bifluoride salts.

Structure and bonding

The bifluoride ion has a linear, centrosymmetric structure (''D_∞h'' symmetry), with an F− H bond length of 114 pm. The bond strength is estimated to be greater than 155 kJ/mol. In molecular orbital theory, the atoms are modeled to be held together by a 3-center 4-electron bond ( symmetrical hydrogen bond), in a sort of hybrid between a

hydrogen bond In chemistry, a hydrogen bond (H-bond) is a specific type of molecular interaction that exhibits partial covalent character and cannot be described as a purely electrostatic force. It occurs when a hydrogen (H) atom, Covalent bond, covalently b ...

and a

covalent bond A covalent bond is a chemical bond that involves the sharing of electrons to form electron pairs between atoms. These electron pairs are known as shared pairs or bonding pairs. The stable balance of attractive and repulsive forces between atom ...

Reactions

Salts, such as potassium bifluoride and ammonium bifluoride are produced by treating fluoride salts with hydrofluoric acid: :, where = or Potassium bifluoride binds a second equivalent of HF: : Heating these salts releases anhydrous HF. The bifluoride anion is present in solutions of HF and buffered oxide etch, used in microfabrication etching. In these processes, bifluoride breaks down silicon oxides, doing more effectively than HF (~4.5 times faster). :

References

{{reflist Anions Fluorides Bifluorides