Yttrium(III) fluoride is an

inorganic 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''. Inor ...

chemical compound A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element ...

with the chemical formula Y F₃. It is not known naturally in "pure" form. The fluoride minerals containing essential yttrium include tveitite-(Y) (Y,Na)₆Ca₆Ca₆F₄₂ and gagarinite-(Y) NaCaY(F,Cl)₆. Sometimes mineral

fluorite Fluorite (also called fluorspar) is the mineral form of calcium fluoride, CaF2. It belongs to the halide minerals. It crystallizes in isometric cubic habit, although octahedral and more complex isometric forms are not uncommon. The Mohs scal ...

contains admixtures of yttrium.

Synthesis

YF₃ can be produced by reacting fluorine with

yttria Yttrium oxide, also known as yttria, is Y2 O3. It is an air-stable, white solid substance. The thermal conductivity of yttrium oxide is 27 W/(m·K). Applications Phosphors Yttrium oxide is widely used to make Eu:YVO4 and Eu:Y2O3 phosphors that ...

yttrium hydroxide Yttrium(III) hydroxide is an inorganic compound and an alkali with the chemical formula Y(OH)3. Production Yttrium(III) hydroxide can be produced by reacting yttrium(III) nitrate and sodium hydroxide in aqueous solution:田俐，陈稳纯，陈� ...

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 ...

. :Y(OH)₃ + 3HF → YF₃ + 3H₂O

Properties

Yttrium(III) fluoride has a refractive index of 1.51 at 500 nm and is transparent in the range from 193 nm to 14,000 nm (i.e. from the UV to IR range). Pure yttrium can be obtained from yttrium(III) fluoride by reduction with

calcium Calcium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar to it ...

. Yttrium(III) fluoride crystallizes in the

orthorhombic crystal system In crystallography, the orthorhombic crystal system is one of the 7 crystal systems. Orthorhombic lattices result from stretching a cubic lattice along two of its orthogonal pairs by two different factors, resulting in a rectangular prism with ...

, with

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), with the lattice parameters a = 6.3537 Å, b = 6.8545 Å, c = 4.3953 Å. Yttrium is nine times coordinated by fluorine atoms.

Occurrence and uses

It occurs as the mineral waimirite-(Y). Yttrium(III) fluoride can be used for the production of metallic yttrium, thin films, glasses and ceramics.

Hazards

Conditions/substances to avoid are:

acids An acid is a molecule or ion capable of either donating a proton (i.e. hydrogen cation, H+), known as a Brønsted–Lowry acid, or forming a covalent bond with an electron pair, known as a Lewis acid. The first category of acids are the ...

, active metals and

moisture Moisture is the presence of a liquid, especially water, often in trace amounts. Moisture is defined as water in the adsorbed or absorbed phase. Small amounts of water may be found, for example, in the air (humidity), in foods, and in some comme ...

References

{{fluorine compounds Fluorides Metal halides Yttrium compounds