Question

The noble gases were, until relatively recently, thought to be entirely unreactive. Experiments in the early 1960s showed that Xe could, in fact, form compounds with fluorine. The formation of compounds containing Xe is made possible by ________.

Answer 1

The formation of xenon compounds such as xenon difluoride is made possible due to the displacement of xenon's outer electrons, which can occur under certain conditions like high pressure and temperature.

Step-by-step explanation:

The formation of compounds containing Xe is made possible by the fact that the outer electrons of the larger noble gases like Xe (xenon) are far enough away from the nucleus that they can be displaced under certain conditions. The noble gases were long thought to be entirely unreactive due to their filled outer electron shells, which provide a stable electronic configuration. Despite this, experiments in the early 1960s confirmed that noble gas compounds can indeed be synthesized, with xenon forming stable compounds with fluorine. For instance, xenon difluoride (XeF2), xenon tetrafluoride (XeF4), and xenon hexafluoride (XeF6) are all compounds that form when xenon reacts with varying amounts of fluorine, producing stable crystals that are inert at room temperature. These reactions typically require the noble gas to be exposed to high pressure and temperature conditions.

Answer 2

Xenon’s relatively low ionization energy

Step-by-step explanation:

Ionization energy is the minimum amount of energy that is necessary to remove or dislodge the most loosely bound electron called the valence electron. When this happens and the valence electrons are removed they then go to the other atom and vice versa and bonding occurs.

Since Xenon is unreactive then its relatively low ionization energy is responsible for its bonding with fluorine.