The preparations of the sulfur fl uorides include a wide variety of reactions. The hexafl uoride can be
prepared by fl uorinating sulfur with ClF 3, BrF 5, or F 2. When fl uorine is used, some SF 4 and S 2 F 10 are
also produced. The hexafl uoride is virtually unique among covalent halides of nonmetals because of
its inertness. It is so inert that it undergoes very few reactions under ordinary conditions, and it is used
as a gaseous insulator. The reason is that there is no low-energy pathway because of the stability of the S – F bonds and the shielding of the sulfur atom by six fl uorine S – F bonds and the shielding of the sulfur atom by six fl uorine atoms. atoms.