What does it mean when fluorine has a low polarizability?
I guess it relates to these compounds:
CH
3CH
2F CH
3CHF
2 CH
3CF
3 CF
3CF
3I don't understand it, though.
For what I remember, when a compound is polarized, such as HCl, that means that the chlorine is pulling electrons toward it. Am I to infer that fluorine is not pulling electrons toward it as much as Cl would? Why would I infer that?
I don't understand it. Maybe it relates to inorganic chemistry. It's been a while.
The boiling point of CF3CF3 is, in fact, only 11° higher than that of ethane itself. The reason for this behavior has to do with the very low polarizability of fluorine and a decrease in induced-dipole/induced-dipole forces that accompanies the incorporation of fluorine substituents into a molecule.