Aluminium trifluoride is insoluble in anhydrous HF but dissolves on addition of NaF. Aluminium trifluoride precipitates out of the resulting solution when gaseous BF₃ is bubbled through. Give reasons.

Question

Aluminium trifluoride is insoluble in anhydrous HF but dissolves on addition of NaF. Aluminium trifluoride precipitates out of the resulting solution when gaseous BF₃ is bubbled through. Give reasons.

Philoid · Accepted Answer

Hydrogen fluoride is a covalent compound and has a very strong intermolecular hydrogen-bonding. Thus, it does not provide ions and aluminum fluoride does not dissolve in it. Sodium fluoride is an ionic compound and when it is added to the mixture, Alf dissolves. This is because of the availability of free F^–. The reaction involved in the process is:

AlF₃ + 3NaF → Na₃[AlF₆]

Aluminum fluoride gets precipitated out of the solution when boron trifluoride is added to the solution. This happens because the tendency of boron to form complexes is much more than that of aluminum. Therefore, when boron trifluoride is added to the solution, B replaces Al from the complexes according to the following reaction:

Na₃[AlF₆] + 3BF₃→ 3Na[BF₄] + AlF₃

Aluminium trifluoride is insoluble in anhydrous HF but dissolves on addition of NaF. Aluminium trifluoride precipitates out of the resulting solution when gaseous BF3 is bubbled through. Give reasons.

Aluminium trifluoride is insoluble in anhydrous HF but dissolves on addition of NaF. Aluminium trifluoride precipitates out of the resulting solution when gaseous BF₃ is bubbled through. Give reasons.