Berkelium tetrafluoride explained

Berkelium tetrafluoride is a binary inorganic compound of berkelium and fluorine with the chemical formula .^[1]

Synthesis

Berkelium tetrafluoride may be formed by the fluorination of berkelium trioxide, dioxide, or trifluoride with elemental fluorine at elevated temperatures:

Physical properties

Berkelium(IV) fluoride forms light brown crystals of monoclinic crystal structure of uranium tetrafluoride type. Cell parameters: a = 1.2396 nm, b = 1.0466 nm, c = 0.8118 nm, angle β = 126.33°.^{[2] [3]}

Chemical properties

Berkelium tetrafluoride is reduced by lithium at elevated temperatures to metallic berkelium:^[4]

Notes and References

1. Cunningham . B. B. . Berkelium and californium . . January 1959 . 36 . 1 . 32 . 10.1021/ed036p32 . 5 April 2023 . en . 0021-9584.
2. Keenan . Thomas K. . Asprey . Larned B. . Lattice constants of actinide tetrafluorides including berkelium . . February 1969 . 8 . 2 . 235–238 . 10.1021/ic50072a011 . 5 April 2023 . en . 0020-1669.
3. Asprey . L. B. . Keenan . T. K. . The preparation of berkelium tetrafluoride and its lattice parameters (1) . . 1 September 1968 . 4 . 9 . 537–541 . 10.1016/0020-1650(68)80028-5 . 5 April 2023 . en . 0020-1650.
4. Book: Edelstein . Norman M. . Actinides in Perspective: Proceedings of the Actinides—1981 Conference, Pacific Grove, California, USA, 10-15 September 1981 . 11 September 2013 . . 978-1-4831-9051-8 . 334 . 5 April 2023 . en.