| Chemical Properties | White powder |
| Physical properties | Colorless cubic crystal; density 6.33 g/cm3; melts at 1,110°C; vaporizes at 1,748°C; vapor pressure 5 torr at 1,231°C; moderately soluble in water, 4.35 g/100mL at 25°C; soluble in hydrofluoric and other mineral acids; practically insoluble in alcohol and liquid ammonia. |
| Uses | Manufacture of phosphors, glass; in nuclear reactor controls. |
| Uses | Cadmium fluoride is used in phosphors, glass and nuclear reactor controls. It is also used in high-temperature lubricants and to start crystals for lasers. It is used in oxygen-sensitive applications such as the production of metallic alloys and it is also used in limited medical treatment protocols. In addition, it can be used in synthetic organic chemistry. |
| Preparation | Cadmium fluoride is prepared by the reaction of gaseous fluorine or hydrogen fluoride with cadmium metal or its salt, such as chloride, oxide or sulfide:
Cd + F2 → CdF2
Cd + 2HF → CdF2 + H2
CdO + 2HF → CdF2 + H2O
It also may be obtained by dissolving cadmium carbonate in 40% hydrofluoric acid solution, evaporating the solution and drying in vacuum at 150°C:
CdCO3 + 2HF → CdF2 + H2O + CO2
It also may be prepared by mixing cadmium chloride and ammonium fluoride solutions, followed by crystallization. |
| Definition | Available as pure crystals, 99.89%, d 6.6, mp approx- imately 1110C, soluble in water and acids, insoluble in alkalies. |
| Safety Profile | Confirmed human carcinogen. Poison by subcutaneous route. Violent reaction with K. When heated to decomposition it emits very toxic fumes of Cd and F-. See also FLUORIDES and CADMIUM COMPOUNDS. |
| Purification Methods | Crystallise it by dissolving it in hot water (25mL/g at room temperature) at 60o, filtering, then cooling. [Kwasnik in Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry (Ed. Brauer) Academic Press Vol I p 243 1963.] |
