Selenium Hexafluoride: Dielectric Strength and some Chemical Properties

Abstract

THE physical and chemical properties of selenium hexafluoride have received little investigation1,2. We have prepared selenium hexafluoride by reaction of the elements at 300° C. in a copper tube, and found that, provided steps are taken to return selenium tetrafluoride (boiling point, 106° C.) to the reaction zone, a yield of more than 90 per cent selenium hexafluoride is readily obtained. The gas was condensed in a trap cooled to − 160° C. and afterwards sublimed into an aspirator. The greater part of the small amount of selenium tetrafluoride collected remained in the trap after the selenium hexafluoride had sublimed. The product was scrubbed with 10 per cent sodium hydroxide solution, condensed in liquid air, and transferred to an evacuated steel cylinder cooled in ‘Drikold’.