Answer to Question #131841 in Inorganic Chemistry for Morgan

Question

Group 8 elements are referred to as noble gasses.

(a) If any, which of the noble gas(es) react with fluorine? Why?

(b) Give a balanced reaction equation of any of the possible reactions in (a).

Answer 1

$(a) \$ $Xe$ is the only gas which can react with flourine.

 Fluorine is very electronegative element. So it can more strongly attract the lone pairs of Xe, which is not likely to donate it due to stable octate configuration. Other elements except oxygen , being less electronegative are unable to do so. That is why  fluorine form compounds with xenon.

Fluorine only needs one electron to complete its octet, so Xe separates one electron pairs and each Fluorine bonds to one of those electrons. The Fluorines thus form two single bonds to complete their octets, and Xe ends up with 10-valence electrons. That's allowed because Xe is in the 5th period and can store extra valence electrons in the d-subshell.

$(b)\$ The balanced Chemical Equation:

$Xe \ + F_2 \to XeF_2$

$Xe \ + 2F_2 \to XeF_4$

$Xe \ + 3F_2 \to XeF_6$