Why can't fluorine be the central atom in inter-halogen compounds?
A $\ce{F-F}$ bond is weaker than a $\ce{F-X}$ bond and thus, fluorine should be happy to form inter-halogen compounds. But, why doesn't it act as the central atom?
In my textbook, the reason given is because of the high electronegativity of fluorine atoms. But, how does that affect fluorine being the central atom or not?
If fluorine is the central atom, it can draw electrons from other less electronegative halogens and be happy. Does this lead to instability of the compound?
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