Arsenic antimony halides

In a generalized sense, acids are electron pair acceptors. They include both protic (Bronsted) acids and Lewis acids such as AlCb and BF3 that have an electron-deficient central metal atom. Consequently, there is a priori no difference between Bronsted (protic) and Lewis acids. In extending the concept of superacidity to Lewis acid halides, those stronger than anhydrous aluminum chloride (the most commonly used Friedel-Crafts acid) are considered super Lewis acids. These superacidic Lewis acids include such higher-valence fluorides as antimony, arsenic, tantalum, niobium, and bismuth pentafluorides. Superacidity encompasses both very strong Bronsted and Lewis acids and their conjugate acid systems. 

Antimony(III) halides are chemically reactive, but less so than their phosphorus or arsenic analogues. Antimony(III) chloride forms a clear solution with water, and there is no evidence for Sb3+ ions dilution results in precipitation of insoluble oxychlorides of various compositions, e.g. SbOCl, Sb405a2, SbsOuCl2. Some reactions of SbCl3 are shown in Scheme 3. Antimony(III) fluoride is an important fluorinating agent. 

Antimony has a great affinity for charged sulfur ligands which include thiolates, xanthates (R0CS2 ), dithiocarbamates (R2NCS2 ), and dithiophosphates ((RO)2PS2 ). In contrast to arsenic, where this chemistry is limited to oxidation state III, antimony forms compounds in oxidation states III and V. The xanthate, dithiocarbamate, and dithiophosphate complexes are mostly made by reaction of antimony(III) halides or organohalides with Na, NH4, or Ag salts of the acids. Complexes... 

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