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Abdullah Al Mahmud Arafat

Why do XeO and XeF8 not exist?

Carol Campbell  Follow

$\ce{XeF8}$ is not known to exist though O.N is +8. Why is this so?

At least 2 compounds have been reported that contain the $\ce{XeF8^{2-}}$ unit. See, for example:

  • $\ce{(NO^+)2[XeF8]^{2-}}$ (reference)
  • Metal salts of the form $\ce{(M^{+})_2[XeF8]^{2-}}$ where M is a metal salt such as $\ce{Cs, Rb}$ (see the above reference) or $\ce{Na}$ (see p. 62 in Advances in Inorganic Chemistry, Volume 46, A. G. Sykes editor; link

The $\ce{XeF8}$ portion of the molecules approximates a square-antiprism geometry.

enter image description here

(image source)

the lowest oxide of xenon $\ce{XeO}$ is not known though O.N is +2. Why?

Perhaps the molecule is unstable, favoring disproportionation to other xenon oxides plus oxygen. For example, Andreas Hermann and Peter Schwerdtfeger suggest the following pathway at high pressure:

$\ce{3XeO → Xe3O2 + 1/2O2}$

The authors go on to note "we do not find $\ce{XeO}$ to be stable at any pressure" (link to full paper).

Edit: See orthocresol's comment below. He argues that at ambient pressure the following decomposition pathway might be more likely:

$\ce{XeO -> Xe + 1/2 O2}$

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Hey Paulman  Follow
One more thing: The higher oxides: XeO3 and XeO4 were discovered earlier but the oxide XeO2 was discovered recently! What took it so long to discover?More
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James Adeola  Follow
WikipediaMore
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Jim  Follow
Thanks orthocresol, Ill edit my answer to include your thinking.More
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James McDonald  Follow
@NilayGhosh No, any chemical that decomposes or transforms can be said to have a half-life, not just radioactive compounds.More
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Edgars Zalups  Follow
says it is prepared at 0 C and quickly decomposes to $\ce{XeO3}$ with a half-life around 2 minutes. Sounds like it may have been difficult to tell that something other than $\ce{XeO3}$ was being produced.More
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