Chemistry
Xenon trioxide is a strong oxidising agent and can oxidise most substances that are at all oxidisable. However, it is slow-acting and this reduces its usefulness.
Above 25°C, xenon trioxide is very prone to violent explosion:
- 2 XeO3 → 2 Xe + 3 O2
When it dissolves in water, an acidic solution of xenic acid is formed:
- XeO3 (aq) + H2O → H2XeO4 H+ + HXeO4−
This solution is stable at room temperature and lacks the explosive properties of xenon trioxide. It oxidises carboxylic acids quantitatively to carbon dioxide and water.
Alternatively, it dissolves in alkaline solutions to form xenates. The HXeO−
4 anion is the predominant species in xenate solutions. These are not stable and begin to disproportionate into perxenates (+8 oxidation state) and xenon and oxygen gas. Solid perxenates containing XeO4−
6 or XeO2−
4 have not yet been isolated; however, XeO3 reacts with inorganic fluorides such as KF, RbF, or CsF to form stable solids of the form MXeO3F.
Read more about this topic: Xenon Trioxide
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