STRUCTURAL CHEMISTRY OF FLUORIDES AND OXIDE FLUORIDES OF NONMETALS

The structural features of the nonmetal fluorides and oxide fluorides can now be explained and useful predictions can be made. The same applies in part to the chemistry of this class of compounds. Statements concerning structures can easily be made on the basis of the elctron pair repulsion model (VSEPR theory). Some rules for the number of ligands provide structural predictions for larger units than isolated molecules or ions. This is important for the fluorides and oxide fluorides of the heavier elements. This class of compounds has its limits in the lighter noble gases which, even with fluorine, form only weak bonds or no bonds at all. Copyright © 1979 by Verlag Chemie, GmbH, Germany