Interhalogen compound
An interhalogen compound is a molecule which contains two or more different halogen atoms (fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, or astatine) and no atoms of elements from any other group.
Most interhalogen compounds known are binary (composed of only two distinct elements). Their formulae are generally XYn, where n = 1, 3, 5 or 7, and X is the less electronegative of the two halogens. They are all prone to hydrolysis, and ionise to give rise to polyhalogen ions.
No interhalogen compounds containing three or more different halogens are definitely known, although a few books claim that IFCl
2 and IF
2Cl have been obtained, and theoretical studies seem to indicate that some compounds in the series BrClF
n are barely stable.
The interhalogens of form XY have physical properties intermediate between those of the two parent halogens. The covalent bond between the two atoms has some ionic character, the less electronegative halogen, X, being oxidised and having a partial positive charge. All combinations of fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine that have the above-mentioned general formula are known, but not all are stable. Some combinations of astatine with other halogens are not even known, and those that are known are highly unstable.
No astatine fluorides have been discovered yet. Their absence has been speculatively attributed to the extreme reactivity of such compounds, including the reaction of an initially formed fluoride with the walls of the glass container to form a non-volatile product. Thus, although the synthesis of an astatine fluoride is thought to be possible, it may require a liquid halogen fluoride solvent, as has already been used for the characterization of radon fluorides.
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