Xenon compounds

The binary fluorides XeF₂, XeF₄ and XeF₆ are thermodynamically stable and can be prepared through direct reaction under suitable conditions. They are very reactive fluorinating agents. The bonding can be explained through three-center molecular orbital pictures or through resonance structures (example 2; see Topic C6) where no valence-shell expansion is needed. The structures of XeF₄ (square-planar D_4h) and XeF₂ (linear) are those supposed in the VSEPR model but that of gas-phase XeF₆ has proved elusive. It is supposed that (like predicted for a molecule with a lone-pair) the shape is not a general octahedron, but that fluxional processes lead to a fast interchange among dissimilar distorted configurations. In the solid structure, a few associations among molecules take place and the geometry around Xe is distorted, as supposed in the VSEPR theory.

Compounds that come out to consist the [XeF^]+ (1) and bent [Xe₂F₃]⁺ ions are known even though the former is all the time strongly coordinated to a counterion like BbF₆^-. Complex anions comprise XeF^-_5, XeF^-₇and XeF^-₈ the first of that has a unique pentagonal planar structure with D5h symmetry (3), as supposed from VSEPR.

Oxohalides like XeOF₄ are known. Hydrolysis of XeF₆ provides XeO₃, that is proportionates in alkaline solution:

Salts consisting of the octahedral Xe^VIII perxenate ion XeO^4-₆are known, and through the action of acid the tetrahedral xenon tetroxide XeO₄ is created.

All xenon-oxygen compounds are extremely strong oxidizing and thermodynamically unstable; some like XeO₃ are dangerously explosive.

In xenon chemistry currently there has been a renewal of interest, with the preparation of several novel compounds along with Xe-O, Xe-N and Xe-C bonds. Strongly electron withdrawing groups are needed on N and C, an instance being the compound (C₆F₅)₂Xe which such as XeF₂ has linear coordination regarding Xe and is made as follows:

More noticeably, it has been take place that xenon can act like a ligand, and a gold complex consisting of the square planar ion [AuXe₄]²⁺ ion has been prepared.