Oxidizing agents xenon compounds

Stable noble-gas compounds have no industrial uses as of this writing but are frequently utilized in laboratories as fluorinating and oxidizing agents. Xenon difluoride and xenon tetrafluoride are relatively mild oxidative fluorinating agents and have been used for the preparation of phosphoms, sulfur, tellurium. 

Platinum hexafluoride does not have many commercial apphcations. It is used as a strong oxidizing agent and can oxidize oxygen from the air. It is used in research. Platinum hexafluoride forms compounds with molecular oxygen and xenon, [02" ][PtF6 ] and XePtFe, respectively. 

The xenon-oxygen compounds arc extremely powerful oxidizing agents in acid solution as shown by the following EP values ... 

Binary Compounds. Three fluorides, PtF4 [13455-15-7], PtF5 [37782-184-8], and platinum hexafluoride [136934)5-5], PtF., are well documented. The last is a powerful oxidizing agent and can oxidize dioxygen and xenon (235). Two chlorides exist, platinum dichloride [10025-65-7],... 

Since Bartlett s discovery, many other noble gas compounds have been made. All involve very electronegative elements. Most are compounds of Xe, and the best characterized compounds are xenon fluorides. Oxygen compounds are also well known. Reaction of Xe with F2, an extremely strong oxidizing agent, in different stoichiometric ratios produces xenon difluoride, Xep2 xenon tetrafluoride, XeF and xenon hexafluoride, XeFg, all colorless crystals (Table 24-3). 

III) Why are all the fluoride compounds of xenon strong oxidizing agents What is the reduction product in these reactions ... 

The enthalpies of formation of the xenon fluorides are negative (Table 22.1), which suggests that these compounds should be reasonably stable. This is indeed found to be the case. They are, however, powerful fluorinating agents and must be handled in containers that do not readily react to form fluorides. The enthalpies of formation of the oxyfluorides and oxides of xenon, on the other hand, are positive, so these compounds are quite unstable. 

Other xenon halides include the dichloride, the tetrachloride, and the dibromide, but these are not particularly stable. Solutions of xenon trioxide, called xenic acid, are excellent oxidizing agents, as is the octahedral perxenate anion, XeOg. Krypton difluoride, a few nitrogen compounds of both xenon and krypton, and radon difluoride have also been prepared but are not well-characterized. 

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