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Beryllium fluoride

Beryllium fluoride
BeF2str.PNG
Beryllium fluoride.JPG
Names
IUPAC name
Beryllium fluoride
Other names
Beryllium difluoride
Difluoroberyllane
Identifiers
3D model (Jmol)
ChEBI
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.029.198
PubChem CID
RTECS number DS2800000
Properties
BeF2
Molar mass 47.01 g/mol
hygroscopic
Appearance colorless lumps
Density 1.986 g/cm3
Melting point 554 °C (1,029 °F; 827 K)
Boiling point 1,169 °C (2,136 °F; 1,442 K)
very soluble
Solubility sparingly soluble in alcohol
Structure
Trigonal, α-quartz
P3121 (No. 152), Pearson symbol hP9
a = 473.29 pm, c = 517.88 pm
Linear
Thermochemistry
1.102 J/K or 59 J/mol K
45 J/mol K
-1028.2 kJ/g or -1010 kJ/mol
-941 kJ/mol
Hazards
Carc. Cat. 2
Highly toxic (T+)
Irritant (Xi)
Dangerous for the environment (N)
R-phrases (outdated) R49, R25, R26, R36/37/38, R43, R48/23, R51/53
S-phrases (outdated) S53, S45, S61
Flash point Non-flammable
Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC):
LD50 (median dose)
90 mg/kg (oral, rat)
100 mg/kg (oral, mouse)
US health exposure limits (NIOSH):
PEL (Permissible)
TWA 0.002 mg/m3
C 0.005 mg/m3 (30 minutes), with a maximum peak of 0.025 mg/m3 (as Be)
REL (Recommended)
Ca C 0.0005 mg/m3 (as Be)
IDLH (Immediate danger)
Ca [4 mg/m3 (as Be)]
Related compounds
Other anions
Beryllium chloride
Beryllium bromide
Beryllium iodide
Other cations
Magnesium fluoride
Calcium fluoride
Strontium fluoride
Barium fluoride
Radium fluoride
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
YesY  (what is YesYN ?)
Infobox references

Beryllium fluoride is the inorganic compound with the formula BeF2. This white solid is the principal precursor for the manufacture of beryllium metal. Its structure resembles that of quartz, but BeF2 is highly soluble in water.

Beryllium fluoride has unique optical properties. In the form of fluoroberyllate glass it has the lowest refractive index for a solid at room temperature of 1.275. It dispersive power is the lowest for a solid at 0.0093, and the non linear coefficient is also the lowest at 2 × 10−14.

The structure of solid BeF2 resembles that of cristobalite. Be2+ centers are four coordinate and tetrahedral and the fluoride centers are two-coordinate. The Be-F bond lengths are about 1.54 Å. Analogous to SiO2,BeF2 can also adopt a number of related structures. An analogy also exists between BeF2 and AlF3: both adopt extended structures at mild temperature.

Gaseous beryllium fluoride adopts a linear structure, with a Be-F distance of 143 pm. BeF2 reaches a vapor pressure of 10 Pa at 686 °C, 100 Pa at 767 °C, 1 kPa at 869 °C, 10 kPa at 999 °C, and 100 kPa at 1172 °C.

'Molecules' of liquid beryllium fluoride have a fluctuating tetrahedral structure. Additionally, the density of liquid BeF2 decreases near its freezing point, as Be2+ and F ions begin to coordinate more strongly with one another, leading to the expansion of voids between formula units.

The processing of beryllium ores generates impure Be(OH)2. This material reacts with ammonium bifluoride to give ammonium tetrafluoroberyllate:

Tetrafluoroberyllate is a robust ion, which allows its purification by precipitation of various impurities as their hydroxides. Heating purified (NH4)2BeF4 gives the desired product:


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Wikipedia

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