H4NF

Ammonium fluoride · NH4F

Ammonium fluoride is a stable, insulating salt composed of ammonium and fluoride ions, widely used as an etchant and chemical reagent.

Crystal structure of H4NF (hexagonal, P63mc (No. 186))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Ammonium fluoride

Ammonium fluoride is a thermodynamically stable compound that functions as a wide-band-gap insulator. Its structural integrity and chemical properties make it a significant subject of investigation within the broader field of hydrogen-rich materials and chemical reagents. The compound is characterized by its ability to exist in multiple structural configurations, reflecting its versatility in solid-state chemistry. It is widely utilized in industrial etching processes and as a specialized chemical precursor where its specific fluoride-donating capabilities are required. Its stability on the convex hull underscores its importance as a reliable material for various synthetic and storage applications.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Ammonium fluoride, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

5.96–6.31 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
2 DFT sources

Structures

8
3 databases, 4 space groups
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for H4NF, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
P63mc (No. 186)hexagonal5.960.0000-5.0371.02
R3c (No. 161)trigonal6.310.0317-5.0051.49
P63mc (No. 186)Hexagonal1.00
P63mc (No. 186)Hexagonal1.01
P63mc (No. 186)Hexagonal1.00
P63mc (No. 186)
P-43m (No. 215)
R-3m (No. 166)
Uses

Applications

Where Ammonium fluoride is used.

Glass etchingChemical synthesisWood preservationAnalytical chemistry reagent
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Ammonium fluoride, answered from cross-validated data.

What is H4NF?

Ammonium fluoride is a stable, insulating salt composed of ammonium and fluoride ions, widely used as an etchant and chemical reagent.

More questions
What is H4NF used for?
Ammonium fluoride (H4NF) is used in glass etching, chemical synthesis, wood preservation, and analytical chemistry reagent.
What is the band gap of H4NF?
Ammonium fluoride (H4NF) has a DFT-computed band gap of 5.96–6.31 eV across 8 reported structures.
Is H4NF a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a wide band gap up to 6.31 eV it is an insulator / wide-band-gap material.
Is H4NF thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Ammonium fluoride (H4NF) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
What is the crystal structure of H4NF?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of Ammonium fluoride (H4NF) is hexagonal symmetry, space group P63mc (No. 186).
What is the density of H4NF?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of Ammonium fluoride (H4NF) is 1.02 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of H4NF are known?
8 structures of H4NF are reported across 3 databases, spanning 4 distinct space groups.
What elements does H4NF contain?
Ammonium fluoride (H4NF) contains F, H, and N (3 elements).
Where does the data for H4NF come from?
H4NF data is cross-referenced from materials_project, mpaloe, jarvis.
Comparison

How It Compares

Within the hydrogen storage hydrides class.

Unlike metal-based hydrogen storage hydrides such as MgH2 or CaH2, which primarily focus on reversible hydrogen release for energy applications, H4NF acts as a stable molecular-ionic solid. While LiH and AlH3 are often studied for their high hydrogen density, H4NF provides a distinct chemical environment due to the presence of the ammonium cation, making it a unique member of the hydride class compared to binary metal hydrides like CaClH.

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Related Compounds

Other Hydrogen Storage Hydrides in the database.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
  • mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (NIST). Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020).

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