25 facts on Phosphorus Pentafluoride(PF5) Properties

Phosphorus pentafluoride is a molecule of phosphorus with fluorine as the halogen atom connected through five bonds. Let us learn more facts about Phosphorus pentafluoride below.

Phosphorus pentafluoride is a colorless gas that has a very unpleasant smell. It is carcinogenic to living beings if exposed for a longer time. It has very low melting and boiling points making it a relatively unstable compound. It is non-flammable. The five bonds present in it are unequal in length.

Phosphorus pentafluoride has an acidic character making it a good property for studying hydrolysis. Let us study facts like atomic weight, acidity Phosphorus pentafluoride below.

Phosphorus pentafluoride IUPAC name

The IUPAC nomenclature of Phosphorus pentafluoride is Phosphorus pentafluoride only. It is the most standard naming process of phosphorous halide compound with fluorine as the five connecting halogen atoms.

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Trigonal pyramidal shape of phosphorus pentafluoride.

Phosphorus pentafluoride chemical formula

The chemical formula of Phosphorus pentafluoride is PCl5. Pentafluoride means it has five halogen atoms bound to the central atom, Phosphorus.

Phosphorus pentafluoride CAS number

The CAS number of Phosphorus pentafluoride is 7647-19-0.

Phosphorus pentafluoride ChemSpider ID

The ChemSpider ID of Phosphorus pentafluoride is 22715. This number can be used to find the chemical and physical properties of PF5.

Phosphorus pentafluoride chemical classification

The chemical classification of Phosphorus pentafluoride is –

  • Phosphorus pentafluoride is a halide molecule with phosphorous.
  • Phosphorus pentafluoride is a colorless gas.
  • Phosphorus pentafluoride in the gaseous form is toxic.
  • Phosphorus pentafluoride is an inorganic chemical that is harmful to live beings.

Phosphorus pentafluoride molar mass

The molar mass of Phosphorus pentafluoride is 125.97 g/mol. It is also called molecular mass and computed using relative atomic weight.

Phosphorus pentafluoride color

Phosphorus pentafluoride is colorless in nature.

Phosphorus pentafluoride viscosity

The viscosity of Phosphorus pentafluoride is not yet been assigned scientifically.

Phosphorus pentafluoride molar density

The molar density of Phosphorus pentafluoride is 5.53 kg/m3. It exists as a gas with sufficiently high density.

Phosphorus pentafluoride melting point

The melting point of Phosphorus pentafluoride is -93.78 0C or 179.37 K due to its gaseous state.

Phosphorus pentafluoride boiling point

The boiling point of Phosphorus pentafluoride is -84.6 0C or 188.6 K due to its weak intermolecular forces.

Phosphorus pentafluoride state at room temperature

The state of Phosphorus pentafluoride at room temperature is gaseous.

Phosphorus pentafluoride ionic bond

Phosphorus pentafluoride has ionic bond existing between each of the five P-F bonds due to the difference in electronegativity between P and F. F is more electronegative than P which makes the bond polar in nature. Overall, the PF5 molecule is covalent.

Phosphorus pentafluoride covalent radius

The covalent radius of Phosphorus pentafluoride is near 160 pm. The covalent radius of P is 107 pm and F is 57 pm. The sum of the two radii gives an approximate value of the covalent radius. Further, there are two types of bonds (axial and equatorial) in PCl5, so both differ in length.

Phosphorus pentafluoride electron configurations

Electron configuration is a scientific representation of the electrons’ distribution in various orbitals of the atom. Let us check for Phosphorus pentafluoride below.

The electronic configuration of phosphorus in Phosphorus pentafluoride is 3s2 3p3 3d in the ground state (outer shell state) and of fluorine is 2s2 2p7. Upon excitation, phosphorus has 3s1 3p3 3d1 in unpaired state. This state of P is found in PCl5 for bond formation with five Cl atoms.

Phosphorus pentafluoride oxidation state

The oxidation states for phosphorus is +5 and -1 for each fluorine atom in Phosphorus pentafluoride. Fluorine is more electronegative than phosphorus so it has a negative oxidation state and phosphorous due to its pentavalent gets +5 state. The oxidation state or the charge of the overall molecule is neutral.

Phosphorus pentafluoride acidity/alkaline

Phosphorus pentafluoride is acidic in nature. It is called lewis acid due to the presence of vacant low-lying d orbitals that can take electrons from nearby donors to show an acidic character.

Is phosphorus pentafluoride odorless?

Phosphorus pentafluoride is not odorless as it has a faint unpleasant smell.

Is phosphorus pentafluoride paramagnetic?

Paramagnetic is a character observed due to the presence of unpaired electrons in its domain that can align itself to the magnetic field. Let us study broadly in detail below.

Phosphorus pentafluoride is not a paramagnetic material. The five unpaired electrons in the 3s, 3p and 3d orbitals upon excitation form five bonds to fluorine atoms. As such, no unpaired electron is left in the valence orbital to show paramagnetism. It is diamagnetic.

Phosphorus pentafluoride hydrates

Phosphorus pentafluoride forms hydrate as it has five electronegative F atoms that can form H-bonds with nearby water molecules and do not exist in the anhydrous form generally.

PF5 + 4H2O  —> PF5OH/H3O+(H2O)2

Phosphorus pentafluoride crystal structure

The crystal structure of Phosphorus pentafluoride is Hexagonal P6_3/mmc. It is a space group and it exists in zero dimensional form.

Phosphorus pentafluoride polarity and conductivity

  • The polarity of Phosphorus pentafluoride is zero. Polarity zero means the net dipole moment is zero. The respective dipoles of Phosphorus pentafluoride with each P-F bond cancel out each other.
  • The conductivity of Phosphorus pentafluoride is not yet ascertained.

Phosphorus pentafluoride reaction with acid

The reaction of Phosphorus pentafluoride with acid is nil as PF5 is an acidic molecule so it reacts with bases. It can only produce conjugate bases upon reacting with basic molecules.

Phosphorus pentafluoride reaction with base

The reactions of Phosphorus pentafluoride with base are shown below

  • PF5 + XeF6 –> [XeF5]+[PF6]
  • PF5 + XeF4 –> [XeF3]+[PF5]

Phosphorus pentafluoride reaction with oxide

The reaction of Phosphorus pentafluoride with oxides is not yet fully understood with appropriate examples but as it is acidic in character, reaction with oxides will mostly create salt.

Phosphorus pentafluoride reaction with metal

The reaction of Phosphorus pentafluoride with metal is not broadly studied but P has low-lying vacant d orbitals that can act as a good pi acceptor for electron density. it can form Metal-P bonds as adducts by taking electrons from metals.

Conclusion

Phosphorus pentafluoride is an unpleasant-smelling colorless gas. It is a lewis acid with zero dipole moment. It is soluble in water due to its ionic bonds.

Read more about Americium Electron Configuration and Phosphorous electron configuration