Interaction between uranium pentafluoride and the pentafluorides of vanadium, arsenic, niobium, tantalum, and bismuth, and the tetrafluoride of sulphur
Abstract
The interaction of UF5 with SF4, SF4O, and some Lewis-acid pentafluorides of various strengths has been studied. In anhydrous HF solutions, SF4 was shown to yield an adduct of composition 3UF5·SF4 in which both ionic and fluorine-bridged species are present. The pentafluorides of arsenic, tantalum, and niobium combine with UF5 to give adducts of composition 1.5 UF5·AsF5, UF5·2TaF5, and UF5·2NbF5, respectively. The arsenic derivative is stable at room temperature only under a pressure of AsF5, whereas the tantalum and niobium adducts decompose at higher temperature forming UF5·TaF5 and UF5·NbF5, respectively. Vibrational spectroscopic study of the pentafluoride adducts of UF5has shown that they consist of covalent fluorine-bridged species. Uranium pentafluoride is fluorinated at room temperature by VF5 and by BiF5 in anhydrous HF.