ClF3

Chlorine trifluoride · CTF

Chlorine trifluoride is a highly reactive interhalogen compound used primarily as a powerful fluorinating agent in industrial and specialized chemical applications.

ClF
Crystal structure of ClF3
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Chlorine trifluoride

Chlorine trifluoride is a potent interhalogen compound that functions as a strong oxidizing agent. Its unique electronic configuration and semiconducting nature make it a highly reactive species capable of fluorinating a wide range of materials under controlled conditions.

As a thermodynamically stable compound, it is frequently utilized in specialized industrial processes where aggressive chemical reactivity is required. Its structural versatility is evidenced by the numerous crystalline forms documented in scientific databases, highlighting its importance in chemical synthesis.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Chlorine trifluoride, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

2.52–2.63 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
2 DFT sources

Structures

20
3 databases, 7 space groups
Uses

Applications

Where Chlorine trifluoride is used.

Nuclear fuel processingSemiconductor manufacturingRocket propellant oxidizerIndustrial fluorination
Intellectual Property

Patent Landscape

1 patent reference ClF3 or close compositional variants.

PatentTitleAssigneeGranted
5294262Method of cleaning a process tube with ClF.sub.3 gas and controlling the temperature of process
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Chlorine trifluoride, answered from cross-validated data.

What is ClF3?

Chlorine trifluoride is a highly reactive interhalogen compound used primarily as a powerful fluorinating agent in industrial and specialized chemical applications.

More questions
What is ClF3 used for?
Chlorine trifluoride (ClF3) is used in nuclear fuel processing, semiconductor manufacturing, rocket propellant oxidizer, and industrial fluorination.
What is the band gap of ClF3?
Chlorine trifluoride (ClF3) has a DFT-computed band gap of 2.52–2.63 eV across 20 reported structures.
Is ClF3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a band gap up to 2.63 eV it is a semiconductor.
Is ClF3 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Chlorine trifluoride (ClF3) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
How many polymorphs of ClF3 are known?
20 structures of ClF3 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 7 distinct space groups.
What elements does ClF3 contain?
Chlorine trifluoride (ClF3) contains Cl and F (2 elements).
Where does the data for ClF3 come from?
ClF3 data is cross-referenced from latticegraph.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a standalone interhalogen compound, chlorine trifluoride represents a critical benchmark for reactivity within its class, serving as a primary reagent for applications that demand extreme fluorinating power.

Data sources & attribution
  • latticegraph — Lattice Graph Materials Intelligence Platform

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