Carbon tetrafluoride

Carbon compounds: carbon tetrafluoride

The carbon in carbon tetrafluoride formally is in the oxidation state 4.

Carbon tetrafluoride

• Formula as often written: CF₄
• Hill system formula: C₁F₄
• CAS registry number: [75-73-0]
• Formula weight: 88.004
• Class: fluoride

Synonyms

• carbon tetrafluoride
• carbon(IV) fluoride
• carbon fluoride
• tetrafluoromethane

Physical properties

• Colour: colourless
• Appearance: gas
• Melting point: -183.6°C
• Boiling point: -128°C
• Density: 1.96 (-184°C)

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Element analysis

Element percentages for the elements in carbon tetrafluoride

Element	%
C	13.65
F	86.35

Synthesis

C + 2F₂ → CF₄

Carbon tetrafluoride may be made by direct reaction between carbon and fluorine. Charcoals are not suitable as higher weight carbon fluoride form. The reaction can be carried out in a copper tube. Impurities in the gaseous product may be removed by fractional distillation. Carbon tetrafluoride melts at -183.6°C and boils at -127.8°C.

Solid state structure

• Geometry of carbon: 4 coordinate: tetrahedral
• Prototypical structure:

Isotope pattern

What follows is the calculated isotope pattern for the CF₄ unit with the most intense ion set to 100%.

Formula: C₁F₄

mass  %
88 100.0 __________________________________________________
89   1.1 _

References

The data on these compounds pages are assembled and adapted from the primary literature and several other sources including the following.

• R.T. Sanderson in Chemical Periodicity, Reinhold, New York, USA, 1960.
• N.N. Greenwood and A. Earnshaw in Chemistry of the Elements, 2nd edition, Butterworth, UK, 1997.
• F.A. Cotton, G. Wilkinson, C.A. Murillo, and M. Bochmann, in Advanced Inorganic Chemistry, John Wiley & Sons, 1999.
• A.F. Trotman-Dickenson, (ed.) in Comprehensive Inorganic Chemistry, Pergamon, Oxford, UK, 1973.
• R.W.G. Wyckoff, in Crystal Structures, volume 1, Interscience, John Wiley & Sons, 1963.
• A.R.West in Basic solid state chemistry Chemistry, John Wiley & Sons, 1999.
• A.F. Wells in Structural inorganic chemistry, 4th edition, Oxford, UK, 1975.
• J.D.H. Donnay, (ed.) in Crystal data determinative tables, ACA monograph number 5, American Crystallographic Association, USA, 1963.
• D.R. Lide, (ed.) in Chemical Rubber Company handbook of chemistry and physics, CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, USA, 77th edition, 1996.
• J.W. Mellor in A comprehensive treatise on inorganic and theoretical chemistry, volumes 1-16, Longmans, London, UK, 1922-1937.
• J.E. Macintyre (ed.) in Dictionary of inorganic compounds, volumes 1-3, Chapman & Hall, London, UK, 1992.

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