Formula SF5Cl Appearance Colorless gas | Boiling point -19.1 °C | |
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Sulfur chloride pentafluoride is an inorganic compound with the formula SF
5Cl. It exists as a colorless gas at room temperature and is highly toxic, like most inorganic compounds containing the pentafluorosulfide (SF5) functional group. The compound adopts an octahedral geometry with C
4v symmetry. Sulfur chloride pentafluoride is the only commercially available reagent for adding the SF
5 group to organic compounds.
Contents
Reactivity
In contrast to the high reactivity and toxicity of SF
5Cl, sulfur hexafluoride (SF
6), is inert and nontoxic despite having a closely related chemical formula. This difference highlights the lability of the S-Cl bond in this molecule.
Under free-radical conditions, SF
5Cl adds across double bonds. The following reaction involves the reaction of propene:
3CHCH
2 + SF
5Cl → CH3CH(Cl)CH2SF5
The addition reaction is catalyzed by Et
3B at around -30 °C. SF
5Br is used similarly.
SF
5Cl is also a precursor to O(SF5)2 and F2NSF5 (from tetrafluorohydrazine).
Synthesis
Sulfur chloropentafluoride can be synthesized by several routes, starting from two lower sulfur fluorides, sulfur tetrafluoride and disulfur decafluoride:
SF4 + Cl
2 + CsF → SF
5Cl + CsClClF + SF
4 → SF
5ClS
2F
10 + Cl
2 → 2 SF
5Cl