Chemical Properties
White powder. Soluble in hot acids; slightly soluble
in water; insoluble in alcohol.
Physical properties
Anhydrous zinc fluoride is a white hygroscopic solid; tetragonal needles; density 4.9 g/cm3; melts at 872°C; vaporizes at 1,500°C; vapor pressure 1 torr at 1,243°C and 5 torr at 1,328°C; practically insoluble in water, 5.2 mg/L; sparingly soluble in HCl, HNO3 and ammonia solution
The hydrated salt, ZnF2?4H2O, is a white crystalline solid; rhombohedral crystals; density 2.30 g/cm3; loses water of crystallization at 100°C; sparinglysoluble in water, about 1.52 g/100mL at 20°C.
Uses
Zinc Difluoride inhibits the erosion of enamel in vitro. It also functions as a fluorinating agent, Lewis acid catalyst and as an additive for catalytic transformations.
Uses
Zinc fluoride is a white crystalline powder, used in the manufacture of phosphors for fluorescent lights. It also is used in electroplating baths, in preservation of wood, in glazes and enamels for ceramics, and in fluorination reactions of organics.
Flammability and Explosibility
Notclassified
Purification Methods
A possible impurity is H2O which can be removed by heating at 100o or by heating to 800o in a dry atmosphere. Heating in the presence of NH4F produces larger crystals. It is sparingly soluble in H2O (1.51g/100mL) but more soluble in HCl, HNO3 and NH4OH. It can be stored in glass bottles. [Kwasnik in Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry (Ed. Brauer) Academic Press Vol I p 242 1963.]
References
[1] http://www.npi.gov.au/resource/zinc-and-compounds
[2] https://hazmap.nlm.nih.gov/category-details?id=7782&table=copytblagents
[3] Patent EP 0001677 A1: Flux for soft soldering of aluminum, a fluxed solder composition containing said flux and a method of soft soldering aluminum using said flux
