Gold halides are compounds of
gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
with the
halogens.
Monohalides
AuCl,
AuBr, and
AuI are all crystalline solids with a structure containing alternating linear chains: ..-X-Au-X-Au-X-Au-X-... The X-Au-X angle is less than 180°.
The monomeric AuF molecule has been detected in the gas phase.
Trihalides
Gold triiodide does not exist or is unstable.
, AuF
3, has a unique polymeric helical structure, containing corner-sharing {AuF
4} squares.
Pentahalides
Gold(V) fluoride, AuF
5, is the only known example of gold in the +5
oxidation state
In chemistry, the oxidation state, or oxidation number, is the hypothetical Electrical charge, charge of an atom if all of its Chemical bond, bonds to other atoms are fully Ionic bond, ionic. It describes the degree of oxidation (loss of electrons ...
. It most commonly occurs as the dimer Au
2F
10.
References
Metal halides
Gold–halogen compounds