Synthesis of tantalum and niobium fluoride compounds

The variety of fluoride compounds that exist and the wide spectrum of their preparation methods are related to the properties of fluorine, and above all to fluorine s high electronegativity. Low dissociation energy of the fluorine molecule, F2, relatively high energies of bond formation found in most fluoride compounds, as well as fluorine s strong oxidizing ability lead, in some cases, to spontaneous fluorination. 

The synthesis of tantalum and niobium fluoride compounds is, above all, related to the fluorination of metals or oxides. Table 3 presents a thermodynamic analysis of fluorination processes at ambient temperature as performed by Rakov [51, 52]. It is obvious that the fluorination of both metals and oxides of niobium and tantalum can take place even at low temperatures, whereas fluorination using ammonium fluoride and ammonium hydrofluoride can be performed only at higher temperatures. 

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Another anhydrous solvent that is frequently used for the synthesis of tantalum and niobium fluoride compounds is bromine trifluoride, BrF3. At ambient temperature, bromine trifluoride is light yellow liquid characterized by a boiling point of 126°C, a melting point of 9°C and a density of 2.84 g/cm3 at melting temperature. 

The most universal method for the synthesis of tantalum and niobium fluoride compounds is based on direct interaction between their pentafluorides, TaF5 or NbFs, and fluorides of other metals. Some physical-chemical properties of these compounds are presented in Table 8 [71, 72]. 

Potassium-containing tantalum and niobium fluoride compounds can be precipitated from HF solutions as described previously (see Fig. 3 and 4). Ritchie and Mitra [59] described the synthesis of K.2TaF7 in an HF solution, based on the following interaction (5), using TaCl5 as a precursor ... 

For a long period of time, molten salts containing niobium and tantalum were widely used for the production by electrolysis of metals and alloys. This situation initiated intensive investigations into the electrochemical processes that take place in molten fluorides containing dissolved tantalum and niobium in the form of complex fluoride compounds. Well-developed sodium reduction processes currently used are also based on molten salt media. In addition, molten salts are a suitable reagent media for the synthesis of various compounds, in the form of both single crystals and powdered material. The mechanisms of the chemical interactions and the compositions of the compounds depend on the structure of the melt. 

Synthesis of the compounds from such HF solutions is performed by adding soluble fluoride compounds to the tantalum or niobium solution or by recrystallization of prepared fluoride compounds from water or HF solutions of different concentrations. In the first case, the composition of the compounds obtained depends on the ratio between Ta/Nb and the added metal and on the initial concentration of the HF used, whereas in the second case, it depends only on the HF concentration. 

Attempts to obtain fluoride compounds of niobium and tantalum with alkali earth and some transitional metals were made as early as one hundred years ago, but synthesis and identification methods were described only at later times. 

The results available on the synthesis of niobium and tantalum fluoride compounds from aqueous solutions are in good correlation with the concept of... 

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