Is BrF3 Polar or Nonpolar?
BrF3, or bromine trifluoride, is a highly polar autoionizing solvent. The compound is a strong fluorinating agent with a dipole moment of 1.19 D and a very high dielectric constant of 107 at 25 °C.
Because of 5 regions of high electron density – three Br-F covalent bonds and two lone electron pairs – bromine trifluoride follows trigonal bipyramid molecular geometry. As noted by the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, the bonds Br-F are considered polar because of a relatively high difference in electronegativity values of fluorine and bromine. According to Purdue University, unshared pairs are located in the plane of the triangle, causing an uneven distribution of negative charge around central bromine atom and, in turn, the polarity of the compound.
