Question

Xenon hexafluoride reacts with silica to form a xenon compound X. The oxidation state of Xe in X is:
A. +2
B. +4
C. +6
D. 0

Answer 1

Hint: Xenon reacts in a way that is very unpredictable. Since xenon is a noble gas, it is expected that it will not interact with any other atoms to create bonds. However, under high pressure and high temperature, xenon compounds like xenon hexafluoride react with certain compounds like silica to produce distinct products. Additionally, xenon compounds interact with water molecules.

Complete Step by Step Solution:
A member of the periodic table's noble gas family is xenon. As a result, it is always assumed that since its valence shell is fully filled, it does not interact with other atoms. It has an inert configuration as well. However, it is forced to react with fluorine at extremely high pressure and temperature, which results in the formation of xenon fluorides.

Depending on the fluorine ratio employed, different xenon compounds are created. Xenon Hexafluoride is one of them. The nature of xenon hexafluoride is extremely reactive. It reacts with quartz and generates a lot of heat when it comes into contact with it, thus we cannot store it in glass or quartz. The reaction of Xenon Hexafluoride with Silica or Quartz is given as:
\[2Xe{{F}_{6}}+\text{ }Si{{O}_{2}}\to ~2XeO{{F}_{4}}~+\text{ }Si{{F}_{4}}\]

Now, we are supposed to find the oxidation number of Xenon in the product. The product formed is \[XeO{{F}_{4}}\]. The net charge on the compound is 0. Let us suppose the oxidation number of Xe to be x. We know that oxygen carries a charge of -2 and F carries a charge of -1. So, in order to find the oxidation state, it can be formulated as:
$x+(-2)+(-1)(4)=0$
$x-2-4=0$
$x-6=0$Therefore, \[x=+6\]
Hence, the correct option is C. +6

Note: In the atmosphere, xenon is inert, but when pressure and temperature are high, it reacts with fluorine and oxygen to produce compounds. Xenon compound hydrolysis is another option. However, the nature of each of these xenon processes is extremely exothermic. This makes it a potential explosive material.