Something odd: Tetraxenongold

Self ^ | 18 Aug 10 | Self

[OneWingedShark]

I was browsing around wikipedia and came across this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraxenonogold%28II%29

It's really odd because Gold and Xenon are both notoriously unreactive. Now I don't know a lot about chemistry, but this piques my interest (on account of its extreme weirdness) and I was wondering if any of my fellows here might know about its physical properties.

[Wings-n-Wind]

Digital alchemy?

[devane617]

why fr? why not a chem forum?

[Mr. K]

Isn’t that the molecule Bob Lazaar said the aliens used to create their gravitational interstellar drive systems?

[jdsteel]

I get mine.......from Goldline.

[jimpick]

Seems to me that it would be unstable as xenon has full electron shells.

[agere_contra]

If anyone wants to buy TetraXenonGold, Ghanaian vendors are the cheapest.

[jimpick]

I heard they will send it to you free if you just pay the postage. Remember gold is heavy so the postage may seem a little high.

[OneWingedShark]

Mostly because I [at the moment] want a light and possibly informative chit-chat... and somewhat of a distraction from all the “interesting times” going on around us.

[Vasilli22]

[OneWingedShark]

LoL - Best reply ever!
[You’re listening to Glenn Beck right now, aren’t you?]

[agere_contra]

Hmm, it does seem strange that they would bond. I wonder if this flat lattice is weakly held together by some anti-ferromagnetic effect. Spin up on Gold, spin down on Xenon, the whole structure being lower-energy than would be possible for separated atoms.

Or maybe D-shell bonding is just more complex than the S and P bonding we’re all used to.

[blowfish]

AuXe4 compounds are only stable at low temperatures (like -40C) or high pressure since the Au-Xe bonds are weak. The AuXe4²⁺ cation is dark red, and can be brought to room temperature only under 10 atmospheres of Xenon gas.

[Fred Hayek]

Xenon, being a bit far down on the periodic chart, is a noble gas that has been known to form molecular bonds. It bonds with fluorine, although the solid crystals will explode with a touch of a feather.

[agere_contra]

That makes sense. A neutral ligand only weakly coupled to the metal.

[agere_contra]

But weirdly enough, only with a feather. A sledgehammer bounces right off.

[jimpick]

Odd yes, but a feather is organic. A sledge hammer is metallic. I think it is because of the carbon bonds in the feather.

[NonValueAdded]

Is AlGore still selling carbon bonds?

[agere_contra]

Had to look it up. Three fluorides, XeF2, XeF4, and XeF6.

The reaction of XeF6 with water can end up giving Xenon Trioxide, a dangerously explosive compound.

So it compounds with Flourine AND Gold, plus it blows stuff up.

Wow, Xenon. You think it's a boring noble gas, but in reality it's the lesbian female assassin of the periodic table.

[Mr. K]

so does gold- i think they woukd slide right off’n each other

unless they happen to be sizes that pack neatly togther- Picture a lattice of basketballs with baseballs stuffed into the open spaces