1998/07/01 by R. J. Gillespie · 1 citation
Chemistry · Materials Science · #Inorganic Fluorides and Related Compounds #Luminescence Properties of Advanced Materials #Zeolite Catalysis and Synthesis
paper · doi:10.1021/ed075p923
openalex publication_date 1998/07/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Calculated ionic charges show that BF 3 and SiF 4 are predominately ionic molecules yet in contrast to BeF 2 and AlF 3 they exist as gases at room temperature and form molecular solids rather than infinite three-dimensional "ionic" solids at low temperature. Whether or not ionic molecules form a three-dimensional infinite ionic lattice or a molecular solid depends more on relative atomic (ionic) sizes than on the nature of the bonding in the isolated molecule. The ionic model for BF 3 and BF 4 - provides a simple explanation of their bond lengths and for the constancy of interligand nonbonding distances. BF 3 and SiF 4 should be represented by ionic structures rather than by the conventional structures with bond lines that are normally assumed to indicate covalent bonds.