Hexafluorophosphoric acid is the
inorganic compound with the
chemical formula
In chemistry, 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 symbol ...
(also written ). This strong
Brønsted acid features a
non-coordinating anion
Anions that interact weakly with cations are termed non-coordinating anions, although a more accurate term is weakly coordinating anion. Non-coordinating anions are useful in studying the reactivity of electrophilic cations. They are commonly found ...
,
hexafluorophosphate
Hexafluorophosphate is an anion with chemical formula of . It is an octahedral species that imparts no color to its salts. is isoelectronic with sulfur hexafluoride, , and the hexafluorosilicate dianion, , and hexafluoroantimonate . In this an ...
(). It is formed from the reaction of
hydrogen fluoride with
phosphorus pentafluoride
Phosphorus pentafluoride, P F5, is a phosphorus halide. It is a colourless, toxic gas that fumes in air.
Preparation
Phosphorus pentafluoride was first prepared in 1876 by the fluorination of phosphorus pentachloride using arsenic trifluoride, w ...
.
Like many strong acids, hexafluorophosphoric acid is not isolable but is handled only in solution. It exothermically reacts with water to produce oxonium hexafluorophosphate () and hydrofluoric acid. Additionally, such solutions often contain products derived from hydrolysis of the P-F bonds, including , , and , and their conjugate bases.
Hexafluorophosphoric acid attacks glass. Upon heating, it decomposes to generate HF. Crystalline has been obtained as the hexahydrate, wherein is enclosed in
truncated octahedral cages defined by the water and protons.
NMR spectroscopy
Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, most commonly known as NMR spectroscopy or magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), is a spectroscopic technique to observe local magnetic fields around atomic nuclei. The sample is placed in a magnetic fie ...
indicates that solutions derived from this hexahydrate contain significant amounts of HF.
See also
*
Fluoroantimonic acid
Fluoroantimonic acid is a mixture of hydrogen fluoride and antimony pentafluoride, containing various cations and anions (the simplest being and ). This substance is a superacid that can be over a billion times stronger than 100% pure sulfuri ...
References
{{Hexafluorophosphates
Hexafluorophosphates
Mineral acids