The Oxidizing Properties of the Third Transition Series Hexafluorides and Related Compounds

Some of the transition metal hexafluorides demonstrate an astonishing oxidizing power. In particular may be mentioned PtF₆, which is capable of oxidizing molecular oxygen or xenon, a process requiring an electron affinity, E(PtF₆), > ?156 kcal·mole^?1. From a comparative study of all of the hexafluorides of the third transition series the electron affinity is seen to increase regularly in the sequence WF₆ < ReF₆ < OsF₆ < IrF₆ < PtF₆. The increase in E with unit increase in atomic number of M appears to be ≈ ?20 kcal·mole^?1. On the other hand the ability of the hexafluorides to accept F^? decreases along this series. This effect enables IrF₆ to be more effective than PtF₆ in the generation of nitrogen oxide trifluoride, ONF₃, by the oxidative fluorination of nitrosyl fluoride, ONF. Both PtF₆ and IrF₆ interact spontaneously with ONF or O₂NF to generate fluorine, at or below room temperature. The decrease in F^? -acceptor ability along the series, which stands in sharp contrast to the increase in electron affinity, suggests that ligand crowding increases sharply across the series from WF₆ to PtF₆. This accords with the observed decrease in molecular volume along the series, both in the hexafluorides and in the MF₆^? salts. It is clear from this comparison that the species IrF₆ and PtF₆ are close to a minimum volume for this series. The oxide pentafluorides ReOF₅ and OsOF₅ are similar in oxidizing ability to their respective hexafluorides but are poorer F^? acceptors. Evidently the ligand crowding in MOF₅ molecules is greater than in MF₆.