Silver hexafluorophosphate

This article is about the fluorophosphate. For the phosphate, see Silver phosphate.

Silver hexafluorophosphate, sometimes referred to "silver PF-6," is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula AgPF₆.

Silver hexafluorophosphate

Identifiers
CAS Number	26042-63-7 Y
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image
ChemSpider	147361 Y
ECHA InfoCard	100.043.101
EC Number	247-428-6
PubChem CID	168464
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)	DTXSID70885326
InChI InChI=1S/Ag.F6P/c;1-7(2,3,4,5)6/q+1;-1 Y Key: SCQBROMTFBBDHF-UHFFFAOYSA-N Y InChI=1/Ag.F6P/c;1-7(2,3,4,5)6/q+1;-1 Key: SCQBROMTFBBDHF-UHFFFAOYAC
SMILES [Ag+].F[P-](F)(F)(F)(F)F
Properties
Chemical formula	AgPF6
Molar mass	252.83 g/mol
Appearance	Off-white powder
Melting point	102 °C (216 °F; 375 K)
Solubility	soluble in organic solvents
Hazards
GHS labelling:
Pictograms
Signal word	Danger
Hazard statements	H314
Precautionary statements	P260, P264, P280, P301+P330+P331, P303+P361+P353, P304+P340, P305+P351+P338, P310, P321, P363, P405, P501
NFPA 704 (fire diamond)	3 0 0
Safety data sheet (SDS)	External MSDS
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). N verify (what is YN ?) Infobox references

Uses and reactions

Silver hexafluorophosphate is a commonly encountered reagent in inorganic and organometallic chemistry. It is commonly used to replace halide ligands with the weakly coordinating hexafluorophosphate anion; abstraction of the halide is driven by the precipitation of the appropriate silver halide. Illustrative is the preparation of acetonitrile complexes from a metal bromide, a reaction that would typically be conducted in a solution of acetonitrile:

AgPF₆ + Re(CO)₅Br + CH₃CN → AgBr + [Re(CO)₅(CH₃CN)]PF₆

Ligands with tightly-bound halide atoms coordinate the silver, but do not themselves decompose:^[1]

AgPF₆ + 2 XeF₂ → [Ag(XeF₂)₂]PF₆.

AgPF₆ can act as an oxidant, forming silver metal as a by-product. For example, in solution in dichloromethane, ferrocene is oxidised to ferrocenium hexafluorophosphate:^[2]

AgPF₆ + Fe(C₅H₅)₂ → Ag + [Fe(C₅H₅)₂]PF₆ (E = 0.65 V)

Related reagents

In terms of their properties and applications, silver tetrafluoroborate (AgBF₄) and the hexafluoroantimonate (AgSbF₆) are similar to AgPF₆.

Comparison with silver nitrate

Silver nitrate is a traditional and less expensive halide abstraction reagent, as indicated by its widespread use in qualitative tests for halides.

Relative to AgPF₆, however, silver nitrate is poorly soluble in weakly basic solvents: the nitrate anion is Lewis basic and presents an interfering ligand that precludes its use in stringent applications.