7 Phosphorus Trifluoride Uses: Facts You Should Know!

Phosphorus trifluoride is a colorless, odorless gas with a formula PF₃. It is made up of three bond pairs and one lone pair of electrons. Let us examine a few applications of PF₃.

The industries which employ phosphorus trifluoride are –

• Electronics industry
• Chemical industry
• Coordination complex synthesis

In this article, we will focus more on the varied role of phosphorus trifluoride in different fields.

Electronics Industry

• Phosphorus trifluoride is used in the manufacture of large consumer electronics equipment such as a refrigerator, washing machines, computers, vacuum cleaners, smoke detectors, phones, electric tools, and lamps.
• Small electronics with a direct human touch, such as massagers, are also included in PF₃‘s application.

Chemical Industry

• Phosphorus trifluoride is utilized in the technique of electrodeposition of metal on rubber.
• Chemical compounds such as phosphides and fluorides are all made from PF₃.
• PF₃ plays a key role in making gasoline additives, dyestuffs, germicides, pesticides, plasticizers, surfactants, and textile finishing agents.

Coordination Complex Synthesis

• Phosphorus trifluoride is chiefly used in the synthesis of polynuclear transition metal coordination complexes, such as Ni[(PF₃)₂ (PH₃)₂].
• Using thermal or photochemical methods, PF₃ acts as a ligand to create complexes with metals that are in their low oxidation states.

Conclusion

Phosphorus trifluoride is a polar molecule with a molecular mass of 87.97 u. It has a trigonal bipyramidal geometry with a net dipole moment of 1.03 D. PF₃ links the central atom P to generate a stable complex. The commercial significance of PF₃ is, however, minimal.