Ferrocenium tetrafluoroborate
Chemical compound
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ferrocenium tetrafluoroborate is an organometallic compound with the formula [Fe(C5H5)2]BF4. This salt is composed of the cation [Fe(C5H5)2]+ and the tetrafluoroborate anion (BF−
4). The related hexafluorophosphate is also a popular reagent with similar properties. The ferrocenium cation is often abbreviated Fc+ or Cp2Fe+. The salt is deep blue in color and paramagnetic.
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| Names | |
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| IUPAC name
Ferrocenium tetrafluoroborate | |
| Other names
FcBF4[1] | |
| Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol) |
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| ChemSpider | |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.156.161 |
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PubChem CID |
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CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
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| Properties | |
| C10H10BFeF4 | |
| Molar mass | 272.84 g/mol |
| Appearance | dark blue powder |
| Melting point | 178 °C (352 °F; 451 K) (decomposes) |
| Solubility in acetonitrile | Soluble[citation needed] |
| Hazards[2] | |
| GHS labelling: | |
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| Danger | |
| H314 | |
| P280, P305+P351+P338, P310 | |
| Safety data sheet (SDS) | External MSDS |
| Related compounds | |
Related compounds |
Ferrocene |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Ferrocenium salts are one-electron oxidizing agents, and the reduced product, ferrocene, is inert and often readily separated from ionic products. The ferrocene–ferrocenium couple is used as a reference in electrochemistry. The standard potential of ferrocene-ferrocenium is dependent on specific electrochemical conditions.[3]
Preparation
Commercially available, this compound may be prepared by oxidizing ferrocene typically with ferric salts followed by addition of fluoroboric acid.[3] A variety of other oxidants work well also, such as nitrosyl tetrafluoroborate.[4] Many analogous ferrocenium salts are known.[5]
Structure
According to X-ray crystallography, the structures of the metallocene component of FcBF4 and the parent ferrocene are very similar. The Fe-C distances in the cation are 209.5 pm, about 2% longer than the Fe-C distances in ferrocene. [6]