Lanthanum Fluoride Property

Melting point:

1493 °C

Density 

5.936 g/mL at 25 °C(lit.)

refractive index 

1.6029

solubility 

insoluble in H2O, acid solutions

form 

powder

color 

White

Specific Gravity

5.936

Water Solubility 

Soluble in strong mineral acids. Insoluble in water.

Sensitive 

Hygroscopic

Crystal Structure

LaF3 type

crystal system

Three sides

Space group

P3c1

Lattice constant

a/nm	b/nm	c/nm	α/o	β/o	γ/o	V/nm3
0.7185	0.7185	0.7351	90	90	120	0.3311

Exposure limits

ACGIH: TWA 2.5 mg/m3
NIOSH: IDLH 250 mg/m3; TWA 2.5 mg/m3

Stability:

hygroscopic

InChI

InChI=1S/3FH.La/h3*1H;/q;;;+3/p-3

InChIKey

BYMUNNMMXKDFEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-K

SMILES

[La](F)(F)F

CAS DataBase Reference

13709-38-1(CAS DataBase Reference)

EPA Substance Registry System

Lanthanum fluoride (LaF3) (13709-38-1)

Safety

Hazard Codes 

Xi

Risk Statements 

36/37/38

Safety Statements 

22-24/25

RIDADR 

3288

WGK Germany 

3

Hazard Note 

Hygroscopic

TSCA 

Yes

HazardClass 

6.1

PackingGroup 

III

HS Code 

28469033

Hazard and Precautionary Statements (GHS)

Symbol(GHS)

Signal word

Warning

Hazard statements

H315Causes skin irritation

H319Causes serious eye irritation

H335May cause respiratory irritation

Precautionary statements

P261Avoid breathing dust/fume/gas/mist/vapours/spray.

P304+P340IF INHALED: Remove victim to fresh air and Keep at rest in a position comfortable for breathing.

P305+P351+P338IF IN EYES: Rinse cautiously with water for several minutes. Remove contact lenses, if present and easy to do. Continuerinsing.

P405Store locked up.

Lanthanum Fluoride Chemical Properties,Usage,Production

Description

Lanthanum trifluorides (chemical formula: LaF3) is a kind of high-melting, ionic compound of lanthanum and fluorine. It is a component of the multimetal fluoride glass such as ZBLAN. It is majorly used as a solid membrane electrode for manufacturing the into fluoride sensitive (F-1) Ion-selective probes. It also has applications in fiber optics, fluorescent lamps and radiation applications. Lanthanum fluoride can also be doped with Nd3+ and has special applications as a scintillating material. 

Uses

Lanthanum fluoride is used in phosphor lamp coating. Mixed with other rare earths, it is used in carbon arc electrodes and lasers. Also, the fluoride is used in the production of lanthanum metal, an intermediate step in the manufacture of high purity metal.
Lanthanum fluoride, is mainly applied in specialty glass, water treatment and catalyst, and also as the main raw materials for making Lanthanum Metal. Lanthanum Fluoride (LaF3) is an essential component of a heavy Fluoride glass named ZBLAN. This glass has superior transmittance in the infrared range and is therefore used for fiber-optical communication systems. Mixed with Europium Fluoride, it is also applied in the crystal membrane of Fluoride ion-selective electrodes.

Preparation

Lanthanum fluoride may be precipitated by adding hydrofluoric acid to an aqueous solution of lanthanum nitrate or chloride:
La(NO3)3 + 3HF → LaF3 + 3HNO3
The compound also can be made by heating lanthanum oxide with ammonium fluoride in hydrofluoric acid at 300 to 400°C. Ammonium fluoride released in the reaction sublimes at this temperature: La2O3 + 6NH4F•6HF → 2LaF3 + 6NH4F↑ + 3H2O↑
Anhydrous lanthanum fluoride also may be made by passing dry hydrogen fluoride over lanthanum oxide. This process, however, produces trace amounts of lanthanum oxyfluoride, LaOF. Highly purified material may be obtained by passing dry purified HF over molten fluoride in a platinum crucible.

References

http://172.16.24.179/www.crystran.co.uk/userfiles/files/lanthanum-fluoride-laf3-ion-selective-electrodes.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanthanum_trifluoride
http://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2348

Chemical Properties

off-white powder

Physical properties

White hexagonal crystal; hygroscopic; density 5.9 g/cm³; melts at 1,493°C; insoluble in water and acids.

Uses

Lanthanum fluoride, anhydrous is employed extensively in the preparation and study of fluoride glasses.

Uses

Lanthanum fluoride is a white powder used to coat the inside of phosphorus lamps and lasers.

Flammability and Explosibility

Non flammable

Structure and conformation

The space lattice of LaF3 belongs to the tysonite structure.