Structure
Near or above room temperature, HF is a colorless gas. Below −83.6 °C (−118.5 °F), HF forms orthorhombic crystals, consisting of zig-zag chains of HF molecules. The HF molecules, with a short H–F bond of 95 pm, are linked to neighboring molecules by intermolecular H–F distances of 155 pm.
Liquid HF also consists of chains of HF molecules, but the chains are shorter, consisting on average of only five or six molecules. The higher boiling point of HF relative to analogous species, such as HCl, is attributed to hydrogen bonding between HF molecules, as indicated by the existence of chains even in the liquid state.
Read more about this topic: Hydrogen Fluoride
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—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
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