Heptafluoride


Heptafluoride typically refers to compounds with the formula RnMxF7y− or RnMxF7y+, where n, x, and y are independent variables and R any substituent.

Binary heptafluorides

The only binary heptafluorides are iodine heptafluoride, rhenium heptafluoride, and gold heptafluoride. Only IF7 and ReF7 are true heptafluorides, however, as AuF7 is actually a coordination complex of gold pentafluoride and molecular fluorine; therefore, the correct chemical formula of gold heptafluoride is actually AuF5·F2.

Heptafluoride anions

A commercially important heptafluoride anion is the heptafluorotantalate anion, TaF72−. It is an intermediate in the purification of tantalum. Many dimeric and oligomeric heptafluorides have been observed or proposed. One example is B2F7.
In the area of organofluorine chemistry, many heptafluorides are known. A prominent example is heptafluorobutyric acid. This species and its conjugate base heptafluorobutyrate are precursors to surfactants.

Complex heptafluorides

Many compounds that are not discrete ions or molecules also are heptafluorides.