Xenon oxytetrafluoride () is an
inorganic
In chemistry, an inorganic compound is typically a chemical compound that lacks carbon–hydrogen bonds, that is, a compound that is not an organic compound. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as ''inorganic chemist ...
chemical compound
A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element ...
. It is a colorless stable liquid
with a melting point of
that can be synthesized by partial
hydrolysis
Hydrolysis (; ) is any chemical reaction in which a molecule of water breaks one or more chemical bonds. The term is used broadly for substitution, elimination, and solvation reactions in which water is the nucleophile.
Biological hydrolysi ...
of
, or the reaction of with
silica
Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , most commonly found in nature as quartz and in various living organisms. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is ...
or :
: + → + +
A high-yield synthesis proceeds by the reaction of with at .
As are most xenon oxides, it is extremely reactive and unstable, and hydrolyses in water to give dangerously hazardous and corrosive products, including
hydrogen fluoride
Hydrogen fluoride (fluorane) is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . This colorless gas or liquid is the principal industrial source of fluorine, often as an aqueous solution called hydrofluoric acid. It is an important feedstock ...
:
:2 + 4 → 2 + 8 + 3
In addition, some
ozone
Ozone (), or trioxygen, is an inorganic molecule with the chemical formula . It is a pale blue gas with a distinctively pungent smell. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope , breaking down in the l ...
and fluorine is formed.
Reactions
reacts with in the following steps:
: + → + 2
: + → + 2
The formed is a dangerous explosive, decomposing explosively to Xe and :
:2 → 2 + 3
In its liquid form, exhibits amphoteric behaviour, forming complexes with both strong Lewis bases like and strong Lewis acids like . It forms a 1:1 adduct with , isostructural with ·, as well as various heavy alkali metal fluorides.
The reaction of with provides a convenient synthesis route for .
External links
*
References
Oxyfluorides
Xenon(VI) compounds
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