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I honestly have no clue where to begin explaining why the Si-F bond is one of the strongest single covalent bonds of them all.

I would actually predict the bond to be relatively weak on account of the relatively large size of the Si atom leading to a relatively long bond length and hence poor orbital overlap. Indeed, Si's valence orbitals being large and diffuse further suggest to me that the overlap with F's small concentrated orbitals is poor.

Mithoron
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ETS
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    I think you need a source to support that Si–F is indeed the strongest single covalent bond; I was under the impression that B–F was the strongest (although that number is probably unduly influenced by backbonding in BF3 & similar compounds). And http://www.wiredchemist.com/chemistry/data/bond_energies_lengths.html agrees with me. – orthocresol Dec 22 '19 at 21:29
  • @orthocresol I'm afraid that I have no better source than my lecturer. After looking at this website http://www.wiredchemist.com/chemistry/data/bond_energies_lengths.html, it would appear that the B-F bond is indeed stronger than the Si-F bond. I'm still curious to know why the Si-F bond is so strong. – ETS Dec 22 '19 at 21:34
  • Before you ask "why", ask "if". – Ivan Neretin Dec 22 '19 at 21:36
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    https://chemistry.stackexchange.com/a/21833/9961 https://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/24078/how-does-hf-dissolve-glass – Mithoron Dec 22 '19 at 21:46
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    A long bond does not necessarily mean that it is weaker. A strong overlap between orbitals will also increase the same-spin (Pauli) repulsion, so more overlap does also not necessarily mean stronger bond. It is usually a delicate balance between many factors. – Martin - マーチン Dec 22 '19 at 22:03

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