Xenon tetrafluoride

Xenon tetrafluoride is a chemical compound with chemical formula XeF4. It was the first discovered binary compound of a noble gas. It is produced by the chemical reaction of xenon with fluorine, F2, according to the chemical equation: Xenon tetrafluoride is a chemical compound with chemical formula XeF4. It was the first discovered binary compound of a noble gas. It is produced by the chemical reaction of xenon with fluorine, F2, according to the chemical equation: This reaction is exothermic, releasing an energy of 251 kJ/mol. Xenon tetrafluoride is a colorless crystalline substance. Its structure was determined by both NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography in 1963. The structure is square planar, as has been confirmed by neutron diffraction studies, According to VSEPR theory, in addition to four fluoride ligands, the xenon center has two lone pairs of electrons. These lone pairs are mutually trans. Xenon tetrafluoride sublimes at a temperature of 115.7 °C (240.26 °F). Xenon tetrafluoride is produced by heating a mixture of xenon and fluorine in a 1:5 ratio in a nickel container to 400 °C. Some xenon hexafluoride, XeF6, is also produced, and this production is increased with an increased fluorine concentration in the input mixture. The nickel is not a catalyst for this reaction; nickel containers are used because they react with fluorine to form a protective, non-peeling layer of nickel fluoride NiF2 on their interior surfaces. Xenon tetrafluoride is hydrolyzes at low temperatures to form elemental xenon, oxygen, hydrofluoric acid, and aqueous xenon trioxide. Reaction with tetramethylammonium fluoride gives tetramethylammonium pentafluoroxenate, which contains the pentagonal XeF−5 anion. The XeF−5 anion is also formed by reaction with caesium fluoride: Reaction with bismuth pentafluoride (BiF5) forms the XeF+3 cation: The XeF+3 cation in the salt XeF3Sb2F11 has been characterized by NMR spectroscopy.