Molar mass 151.905 g/mol Melting point 200 °C Appearance white powder | Formula LiPF6 Density 1.5 g/cm³ | |
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Lithium hexafluorophosphate is an inorganic compound with the formula LiPF6. It is a white crystalline powder. It is used in commercial secondary batteries, an application that exploits its high solubility in nonpolar solvents. Specifically, solutions of lithium hexafluorophosphate in propylene carbonate and dimethoxyethane serve as an electrolyte in lithium batteries. This application also exploits the inertness of the hexafluorophosphate anion toward strong reducing agents, such as lithium metal.
The salt is relatively stable thermally, but loses 50% weight at 200 °C (392 °F). It hydrolyzes near 70 °C (158 °F) according to the following equation:
LiPF6 + H2O → HF + PF5 + LiOHOwing to the Lewis acidity of the Li+ ions, LiPF6 also catalyses the tetrahydropyranylation of tertiary alcohols.