Reducing fluoride reduction

By contrast, ZrCl and ZrBr, also prepared by the high temperature reduction of ZrX4 with the metal, appear to be genuine binaiy halides. They are comprised of hep double layers of metal atoms surrounded by layers of halide ions, leading to metallic conduction in the plane of the layers, and they are thermally more stable than the less reduced phases. Zrl has not been obtained, possibly because of the large size of the iodide ion, and, less surprisingly, attempts to prepare reduced fluorides have been unsuccessful. 

Neither calcium nor magnesium is used as the reducing agent in the production of tantalum by fluoride reduction. The intermediate used is potassium tantalum fluoride (K2TaF7), and the reducing agent is sodium. The choice of sodium is primarily guided by the need to produce tantalum in the powder form. The pertinent reaction is ... 

Metallic cerium is prepared by metahothermic reduction techniques, such as reducing cerous fluoride with calcium, or using electrolysis of molten cerous chloride or others processes. The metahothermic technique produces high-purity cerium. 

Re OPe . The final step in the chemical processing of rare earths depends on the intended use of the product. Rare-earth chlorides, usually electrolytically reduced to the metallic form for use in metallurgy, are obtained by crystallisation of aqueous chloride solutions. Rare-earth fluorides, used for electrolytic or metaHothermic reduction, are obtained by precipitation with hydrofluoric acid. Rare-earth oxides are obtained by firing hydroxides, carbonates or oxalates, first precipitated from the aqueous solution, at 900°C. 

Calcium metal is an excellent reducing agent for production of the less common metals because of the large free energy of formation of its oxides and hahdes. The following metals have been prepared by the reduction of their oxides or fluorides with calcium hafnium (22), plutonium (23), scandium (24), thorium (25), tungsten (26), uranium (27,28), vanadium (29), yttrium (30), zirconium (22,31), and most of the rare-earth metals (32). 

Fluorides. Most woddwide reductions in dental decay can be ascribed to fluoride incorporation into drinking water, dentifrices, and mouth rinses. Numerous mechanisms have been described by which fluoride exerts a beneficial effect. Fluoride either reacts with tooth enamel to reduce its susceptibihty to dissolution in bacterial acids or interferes with the production of acid by bacterial within dental plaque. The multiple modes of action with fluoride may account for its remarkable effectiveness at concentrations far below those necessary with most therapeutic materials. Fluoride release from restorative dental materials foUow the same basic pattern. Fluoride is released in an initial short burst after placement of the material, and decreases rapidly to a low level of constant release. The constant low level release has been postulated to provide tooth protection by incorporation into tooth mineral. 

In the production of metallic uranium the fluoride UF4 is used for magnesium reduction since die reduction of UCI4 does not produce sufficient heat. The chloride can be reduced with calcium, when a signihcantly greater amount of heat is generated to reach die desired temperature. 

The reaction of 9(1 l)-dehydro steroids with nitrosyl fluoride was studied by Grantz and Rosenthal in pursuit of an alternate source for the important 9a-fluoro-11-oxygenated steroids. As expected, reaction at the more hindered 9(1 l)-double bond proceeds more slowly than at either the 4- or 5-double bonds. After 10 days at 3°, 3 -acetoxy-5a-pregn-9(l l)-en-20-one (50) affords a 45% yield of the 9a-fluoro-ll-nitrimine (51). Other 9a-fluoro-ll-nitrimines were prepared and it was found that the presence of additional keto groups, particularly the 3-keto group gives rise to side products with a concomitant reduction in yield of the desired 9a-fluoro-ll-nitrimines. In the case of the A" -3-ketones the yield is reduced to 10 %. The steric hindrance... 

Reductive removal of fluorme from alk I fluorides requires a potent reducing agent and so is not noimally encountered However, hydrogenolysis of an unacuvated carbon-fluorine bond in, for example, 3 (3-fluorocholestane has been efficiently accomplished in 88% yield with a solution of potassium and dicyclohexyl 18 crown-6 in toluene at 25 C [/] Similarly, sodium naphthaiene in tetrahydrofuran converts 6 tluorohexene-1 and 1-fluorohexane to hydrocarbons in 50% yield at 25 C over a 7-h penod [2]... 

Further examples of this last type of reductive fluorination in which the element itself is used to reduce its higher fluoride are ... 

Similar considerations apply to oxidation. An anion which is considerably more stable than water will be unaffected in the neighbourhood of the anode. With a soluble anode, in principle, an anion only needs be more stable than the dissolution potential of the anode metal, but with an insoluble anode it must be stable at the potential for water oxidation (equation 12.4 or 12.5) plus any margin of polarisation. The metal salts, other than those of the metal being deposited, used for electroplating are chosen to combine solubility, cheapness and stability to anode oxidation and cathode reduction. The anions most widely used are SOj", Cl", F and complex fluorides BF4, SiFj , Br , CN and complex cyanides. The nitrate ion is usually avoided because it is too easily reduced at the cathode. Sulphite,... 

The majority of researchers, however, are inclined to believe that the tantalum reduction process takes place in a single step. Experimental results and discussions confirm that tantalum is reduced from fluoride, fluoride-chloride and oxyfluoride melts containing K2TaF7, via a single stage in which five electrons are transfered [546 - 548] ... 

All the rare earth metals except samarium, europium, and ytterbium can be prepared in a pure form by reducing their trifluorides with calcium. Magnesium fluoride is less stable than the rare earth fluorides and so magnesium does not figure as a reductant. Lithium forms a fluoride which is stabler than some of the rare earth fluorides and thus finds some use as a reductant. 

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