A collection
of 3d transition metal (V, Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni) oxyfluorides were prepared
via the reactions of laser-ablated metal atoms and OF2 in
an argon matrix, and the products were identified by infrared spectroscopy
together with 18OF2 substitution. OMF2 is the major product from the reactions of metal atoms and OF2. The tetravalent metal center is coordinated to two fluorine
atoms and one oxygen atom. Triatomic OMF molecules were observed in
the reactions of V, Mn, Fe, and Co with OF2. In addition
to OMF and OMF2, OMnF3 and OFeF3 were
also formed presumably via the reactions of OMnF and OFeF with F2 resulting from photodecomposition of OF2. The
seldom observed OF radical was produced in all of these experiments.
Electronic structure calculations at the density functional theory
and molecular orbital theory including electron correlation effects
(CCSD(T) and CASPT2) levels are used to aid in the assignment of the
structures. For OMF (M = Sc–Mn), the structures are bent and
those for M = Fe–Cu are linear. The OMF2 molecules
are optimized to be C
2v
structures. Both OMF and OMF2 have a high spin ground
state, with the exception of OCoF2 in which the ground
state quartet is the lower energy structure. The M–O stretching
frequency is a sensitive measure of the computational method in terms
of the bond angle, the coupling of the M–O and M–F stretches,
and the amount of spin on the oxygen. A bonding analysis in terms
of the CAS orbitals shows that a number of the structures have a multireference
character after M = Cr. Oxidation states of the metal are given based
on the CASPT2 results. Heats of formation for the OMF and OMF2 are reported.