Noble Gas Compounds - Online Tutor, Practice Problems & Exam Prep

• Xenon, a noble gas, is unique among Group 8 elements in forming stable compounds.
• It reacts directly with fluorine gas to form xenon fluoride compounds.
• The reaction can involve varying numbers of fluorine molecules, typically 1, 2, or 3.
• The resulting compounds can contain 2, 4, or 6 fluorine atoms bonded to xenon.

Noble Gas Compounds

When it comes to noble gas compounds, among all Group 88 elements, only xenon forms stable compounds. We're going to say it reacts directly with fluorine and it forms fluorides.

Now if we take a look here, we have xenon as a gas. It's a noble gas and it reacts with some set number of fluorine gas molecules. Here N can represent 1-2 or three and it produces xenon with some set number of fluorine atoms connected to it.

X here could represent 2-4 or six. So just remember xenon is an old gas that we focus on. It reacts directly with fluorine and it creates different types of xenon fluoride compounds with two fluorines, 4 fluorines or even up to six fluorines.

Noble Gas Compounds Example

In this example it says a double gas fluoride is a colorless crystalline solid at room temperature. Which one of the following is the most likely formula of this compound?

So here it's a fluoride. All these examples are fluorides. It exists as a crystalline solid at room temperature, which indicates it's pretty stable. And we know that out of all the noble gases, it's xenon that helps to make stable compounds, and it makes stable compounds with fluorine.

If we take a look, the only option that possesses xenon in the formula is option D. Here we have xenon tetrafluoride as this stable colorless crystalline solid found at room temperature.

Which of the following xenon compounds are too unstable to exist?

• A. XeF₂
• B. XeI₄
• C. XeF₄
• D. XeF₆