
Arsenic pentafluoride

Arsenic pentafluoride is a chemical compound of arsenic and fluorine. It is a toxic, colorless gas. The oxidation state of arsenic is +5.
Synthesis.
Arsenic pentafluoride can be prepared by direct combination of arsenic and fluorine:
It can also be prepared by the reaction of arsenic trifluoride and fluorine:
or the addition of fluorine to arsenic pentoxide or arsenic trioxide.
Properties.
Arsenic pentafluoride is a colourless gas and has a trigonal bipyramidal structure. In the solid state the axial As−F bond lengths are 171.9 pm and the equatorial 166.8 pm. Its point group is D3h.
Reactions.
Arsenic pentafluoride forms halide complexes and is a powerful acceptor as shown by the reaction with sulfur tetrafluoride forming an ionic complex.
Safety.
Arsenic pentafluoride is an extremely dangerous toxin, mainly poisoning liver cells. It has a smell that is similar to vinyl chloride gas.