Xenon dichloride (XeCl
2) is a
xenon compound and the only known stable
chloride
The term chloride refers to a compound or molecule that contains either a chlorine anion (), which is a negatively charged chlorine atom, or a non-charged chlorine atom covalently bonded to the rest of the molecule by a single bond (). The pr ...
of
xenon
Xenon is a chemical element; it has symbol Xe and atomic number 54. It is a dense, colorless, odorless noble gas found in Earth's atmosphere in trace amounts. Although generally unreactive, it can undergo a few chemical reactions such as the ...
. The compound can be prepared by using
microwave discharges towards the mixture of xenon and chlorine, and it can be isolated from a
condensate trap. One experiment tried to use xenon,
chlorine
Chlorine is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate between ...
and
boron trichloride
Boron trichloride is the inorganic compound with the formula BCl3. This colorless gas is a reagent in organic synthesis. It is highly reactive towards water.
Production and structure
Boron reacts with halogens to give the corresponding trihalides ...
to produce XeCl
2·BCl
3, but only generated xenon dichloride.
However, it is still doubtful whether xenon dichloride is a true compound or a
Van der Waals molecule composed of a xenon atom and a chlorine molecule connected by a
secondary bond.
References
Xenon(II) compounds
Chlorides
Nonmetal halides
Van der Waals molecules
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