Ruthenium(IV) fluoride is a binary

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 ...

ruthenium Ruthenium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ru and atomic number 44. It is a rare transition metal belonging to the platinum group of the periodic table. Like the other metals of the platinum group, ruthenium is unreactive to most chem ...

and

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 ...

with the formula .

Synthesis

The compound was first prepared in 1963 by Holloway and Peacock, who obtained a yellow solid by reducing

ruthenium pentafluoride Ruthenium pentafluoride is the inorganic compound with the empirical formula RuF5. This green volatile solid has rarely been studied but is of interest as a binary fluoride of ruthenium, i.e. a compound containing only Ru and F. It is sensitive to ...

with

iodine Iodine is a chemical element; it has symbol I and atomic number 53. The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists at standard conditions as a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid that melts to form a deep violet liquid at , and boils to a vi ...

, using

iodine pentafluoride Iodine pentafluoride is an interhalogen compound with chemical formula IF5. It is one of the fluorides of iodine. It is a colorless liquid, although impure samples appear yellow. It is used as a fluorination reagent and even a solvent in speci ...

as a solvent. :: Subsequent studies have indicated that produced by this way is impure. The pure, pink compound was isolated for the first time in 1992 by reacting with at 20 °C in anhydrous

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 ...

, with strict exclusion of water and oxygen. This synthesis exploits the very strong fluoride ion accepting capabilities of the Lewis acid . ::

Physical properties

in the solid state is polymeric, with a three-dimensional structure of corrugated layers containing octahedra joined by shared fluorine atoms. The crystalline structure is similar to that of

vanadium tetrafluoride Vanadium(IV) fluoride ( V F4) is an inorganic compound of vanadium and fluorine. It is paramagnetic yellow-brown solid that is very hygroscopic. Unlike the corresponding vanadium tetrachloride, the tetrafluoride is not volatile because it adopts a ...

and is

monoclinic In crystallography, the monoclinic crystal system is one of the seven crystal systems. A crystal system is described by three Vector (geometric), vectors. In the monoclinic system, the crystal is described by vectors of unequal lengths, as in t ...

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 ...

''P''2₁/''n'', with lattice constants a = 560.7 pm, b = 494.6 pm, and c =514.3 pm, β = 121.27°. Ruthenium tetrafluoride is an extremely reactive compound which darkens immediately upon contact with moisture, and reacts violently with water to deposit

ruthenium dioxide Ruthenium(IV) oxide is the inorganic compound with the formula Ru O2. This black solid is the most common oxide of ruthenium. It is widely used as an electrocatalyst for producing chlorine, chlorine oxides, and O2. Like many dioxides, RuO2 adop ...

. The compound can be stored in glass containers, which are, however, attacked if the sample is heated above 280 °C.

References

{{fluorides Fluorides Ruthenium(IV) compounds