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Topic: acidity/ basicity of oxides  (Read 5619 times)

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Offline jubba

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acidity/ basicity of oxides
« on: November 02, 2006, 11:01:38 PM »
Are noble gas oxides acidic or basic? (or amphoteric or neutral)

I know this sounds like a stupid question because noble gase oxides aren't (very) stable but there has to be an answer.  :)

Offline DevaDevil

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Re: acidity/ basicity of oxides
« Reply #1 on: November 03, 2006, 06:43:39 PM »
Interesting question; I know heavier noble gases can indeed form oxides (like XeO3), and indeed are usually not stable; XeO3 and XeO4 are pretty explosive.

A solution of XeO3 will be acidic, because the compound XeO4 will be formed in the following process:
XeO3(aq) + H2O ? H2XeO4 ? H+ + HXeO4
A solution of XeO4 however... probably will be basic, because of the reverse reaction (if this is a reversible reaction; not sure about that)

So the answer to the question pretty much depends on the different complexes the Noble gases form. These ones (of Xe) I know of, and the lighter noble gases really are inert. As for the rest... maybe someone else can fill in the gaps?

Offline jubba

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Re: acidity/ basicity of oxides
« Reply #2 on: November 04, 2006, 12:27:55 AM »
should the other heavier noble gases also have acidic oxides?
Since the oxygen will be electrophilic overal a noble gas oxide will be electrophilic making it a lewis acid. (is this right?)

Offline DevaDevil

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Re: acidity/ basicity of oxides
« Reply #3 on: November 04, 2006, 01:13:31 AM »
First of all let me clarify that in my previous post I assumed you were talking about the more common use of "acid" namely the Brønsted acid. And basically it isn't even a traditional acid in the way that it actually reacts with water, much in the same way that Sodium metal is a base because it reacts with water making the solution rise in pH.

Since I dont know the complexes of other noble gases, I cannot answer whether or not they will make a solution of them acidic or basic.

As for lewis acids; oxide (ions) usually are Lewis bases so that would make the "noble gas-cation" the acid, but in this case any electron transfer would be followed by an explosion, releasing the trapped oxide. The noble gas will not exist as cation. So... it's hard to speak about these instable materials in these terms.
(Lewis acid accepts the electron from the Lewis base, thus making a bond.)

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