Megan Phillips

Mr. Supal

IDS

13 February 2017

Molecular Soup: Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6)

Part I

Sulfur hexafluoride is a potent greenhouse gas which is commonly utilized as an

electrical insulator. Sometimes, this molecule is used as entertainment due to its effect on the

human voice, causing it to become deeper. In the medical field, sulfur hexafluoride is used as a

contrast agent for ultrasound image. Sulfur hexafluoride was the tracer gas used in the first

roadway air dispersion model calibration. SF6 does occur naturally. There is not an actual

chemical reaction that would form sulfur hexafluoride, but it can be created from the elements

through exposure of S8 to F2. SF6 is named sulfur hexafluoride because both sulfur and fluorine

are nonmetals. When two nonmetals form a compound, the first nonmetal receives a prefix if

there are more than one atom of it. A prefix is added to the beginning of the second nonmetal

depending on how many atoms there are of it, and the end of the name is changed from -ine to

-ide. In this case, sulfur does not have a prefix because there is only one atom of it, and fluoride

has a prefix of hexa- because that is the correct prefix for six atoms. The elements that make up

sulfur hexafluoride are sulfur and fluorine. Sulfur is a solid at room temperature, and fluorine is a

gas at room temperature. Together, the two elements combine to form a molecule with a gas

phase.

Part II
 Sulfur hexafluoride is a colorless, odorless gas. SF6 has a molar mass of 146.06 grams per

mole. The melting point of SF6 is -50.8C and a boiling point of -64C. The solubility of sulfur

hexafluoride in water 0.003% (25C).

Part III

SF6 has an octahedral VSEPR shape. This molecular pattern includes six single bonds

stemming from one central atom with ninety degrees between each bond. In other words, all of

the bonds are perpendicular to the other bonds nearby.

Figure 1. Lewis Structure of SF6

Figure 1 shows the Lewis Structure for sulfur hexafluoride. The structure is composed of

central atom sulfur and six fluorine atoms connected to it with single bonds. Each individual

fluorine atom is surrounded by six electrons, or three electron pairs, resulting in a total of 36

electrons.
Figure 2. Isometric View of Sulfur Hexafluoride

Figure 2 displays the isometric view of SF6 in SolidWorks software. All of the atoms are

the labeled above

Works Cited

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schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_ocr_pre_2011/periodic_table/group7rev1.shtml>.

Harnisch, Jochen, and Anton Eisenhauer. Natural CF4 and SF6 on Earth. Working paper. 13th

ed. Vol. 25. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 1 July 1998. Web. 12 Feb. 2017.

<http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/store/10.1029/98GL01779/asset/

grl11285.pdf;jsessionid=C3B25A4CCF1D05BCEA201E18333270D9.f04t02?v=

1&t=iz3iq8l3&s=8614f20351ee0bbd9627afc897937dcce456854f>.

Pappas, Stephanie. "Facts About Sulfur." Live Science. N.p., 24 Nov. 2014. Web. 12 Feb. 2017.

<http://www.livescience.com/28939-sulfur.html>.
"Sulfur Hexafluoride." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Feb. 2017. Web. 12 Feb. 2017.

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfur_hexafluoride>.