Titanium(IV) fluoride is the

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 the

formula In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a ''chemical formula''. The informal use of the term ''formula'' in science refers to the general construct of a relationship betwe ...

Ti F₄. It is a white

hygroscopic Hygroscopy is the phenomenon of attracting and holding water molecules via either absorption (chemistry), absorption or adsorption from the surrounding Natural environment, environment, which is usually at normal or room temperature. If water mol ...

solid. In contrast to the other tetrahalides of titanium, it adopts a polymeric structure. In common with the other tetrahalides, TiF₄ is a strong

Lewis acid A Lewis acid (named for the American physical chemist Gilbert N. Lewis) is a chemical species that contains an empty orbital which is capable of accepting an electron pair from a Lewis base to form a Lewis adduct. A Lewis base, then, is any ...

Preparation and structure

The traditional method involves treatment of

titanium tetrachloride Titanium tetrachloride is the inorganic compound with the formula . It is an important intermediate in the production of titanium metal and the pigment titanium dioxide. is a volatile liquid. Upon contact with humid air, it forms thick clouds o ...

with excess

hydrogen fluoride Hydrogen fluoride (fluorane) is an Inorganic chemistry, inorganic compound with chemical formula . It is a very poisonous, colorless gas or liquid that dissolves in water to yield hydrofluoric acid. It is the principal industrial source of fluori ...

: :TiCl₄ + 4 HF → TiF₄ + 4 HCl Purification is by sublimation, which involves reversible cracking of the polymeric structure. X-ray crystallography reveals that the Ti centres are octahedral, but conjoined in an unusual columnar structure.

Reactions

TiF₄ forms adducts with many ligands. One example is the complex ''cis''-TiF₄(CH₃CN)₂, which is formed by treatment with

acetonitrile Acetonitrile, often abbreviated MeCN (methyl cyanide), is the chemical compound with the formula and structure . This colourless liquid is the simplest organic nitrile (hydrogen cyanide is a simpler nitrile, but the cyanide anion is not class ...

. It is also used as a reagent in the preparation of organofluorine compounds. With fluoride, the cluster i₄F₁₈sup>2- forms. It has an adamantane-like Ti₄F₆ core. Related to its

ity, TiF₄ forms a variety of hexafluorides also called hexafluorotitanates. Hexafluorotitanic acid has been used commercially to clean metal surfaces. These salts are stable at pH<4 in the presence of

, otherwise they hydrolyze to give

oxide An oxide () is a chemical compound containing at least one oxygen atom and one other element in its chemical formula. "Oxide" itself is the dianion (anion bearing a net charge of −2) of oxygen, an O2− ion with oxygen in the oxidation st ...

References

{{fluorides Fluorides Titanium halides Titanium(IV) compounds Adamantane-like molecules