Gadolinium(III) fluoride is an
inorganic compound
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''.
Inorgan ...
with a chemical formula GdF
3.
Preparation
Gadolinium(III) fluoride can be prepared by heating
gadolinium oxide and
ammonium bifluoride
Ammonium bifluoride is an inorganic compound with the formula or . It is produced from ammonia and hydrogen fluoride. This colourless salt is a glass-industrial etching, etchant and an intermediate in a once-contemplated route to hydrofluoric acid ...
. The reaction involves two steps:
: Gd
2O
3 + 6 NH
4HF
2 → 2 NH
4GdF
4 + 4 NH
4F + 3 H
2O
: NH
4GdF
4 → GdF
3 + NH
3 + HF
Alternatively, reacting
gadolinium chloride with
hydrofluoric acid
Hydrofluoric acid is a solution of hydrogen fluoride (HF) in water. Solutions of HF are colorless, acidic and highly corrosive. A common concentration is 49% (48–52%) but there are also stronger solutions (e.g. 70%) and pure HF has a boiling p ...
and adding hot water produces GdF
3·xH
2O (x=0.53). Anhydrous gadolinium(III) fluoride can then be produced by heating the hydrate with ammonium bifluoride; without the bifluoride, GdOF is formed instead.
: GdCl
3 + 3 HF + x H
2O → GdF
3·xH
2O + 3 HCl
Properties
Gadolinium(III) fluoride is a white solid that is insoluble in water. It has an orthorhombic crystal structure with the
space group
In mathematics, physics and chemistry, a space group is the symmetry group of a repeating pattern in space, usually in three dimensions. The elements of a space group (its symmetry operations) are the rigid transformations of the pattern that ...
Pnma (space group no. 62).
Uses
Gadolinium(III) fluoride is used to produce
fluoride glass
Fluoride glass is a class of non-oxide optical glasses composed of fluorides of various metals. They can contain heavy metals such as zirconium, or be combined with lighter elements like aluminium and beryllium. These heavier elements cause the g ...
es.
References
{{Lanthanide halides
Gadolinium compounds
Fluorides
Lanthanide halides