Negative ion chemistry of SF4

Abstract

A selected ion flow tube was used to conduct an extensive study of negative ion–molecule reactions of SF4 and SF−4. Rate constants and product ion branching fractions were measured for 56 reactions. The reactions bracket both the electron affinity of SF4 (1.5±0.2 eV or 34.6±4.6 kcal mol−1) and the fluoride affinity of SF3 (1.84±0.16 eV or 42.4±3.2 kcal mol−1). These results may be combined to give the neutral bond energy D(SF3–F)=3.74±0.34 eV or 86.2±7.8 kcal mol−1, independent of other thermochemical data except for the accurately known electron affinity of F. The heat of formation of SF−4 is derived from the electron affinity of SF4: ΔfH(SF−4)=−9.2±0.3 eV or −212.9±7.5 kcal mol−1. Lower limits to EA(SF2) and EA(SF3) are deduced from observation of SF−2(35%) and SF−3(65%) ion products of the reaction S−+SF4. Rapid fluoride transfer from both SF−2 and SF−3 to SF4 places upper limits on the electron affinities of SF2 and SF3. The combined results are 0.2 eV≤EA(SF2)≤1.6 eV and 2.0 eV≤EA(SF3)≤3.0 eV. We review the status of measurements of EA(SFn), n=1–7.