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XeO4

XeO4, or xenon tetroxide, is a chemical compound consisting of xenon and oxygen with the formula XeO4. It represents xenon in the +8 oxidation state, the highest oxidation state observed for xenon and other noble gases. XeO4 is highly reactive and is not known as a stable, freely isolable solid at room temperature. It has been prepared under stringent, low-temperature conditions, typically by fluorinating xenon trioxide (XeO3) in the presence of a fluorinating agent.

In terms of structure, XeO4 is described as a tetrahedral molecule in which four oxygen atoms are

XeO4 is a powerful oxidizer and reacts readily with reducing agents. It is also susceptible to hydrolysis;

See also: Xenon oxides, XeO3, XeO2F2, XeF6.

bound
to
xenon
through
Xe–O
bonds.
This
arrangement
is
consistent
with
xenon
having
an
expanded
octet
and
no
lone
pairs
in
the
molecule,
reflecting
its
+8
oxidation
state.
contact
with
water
or
moisture
tends
to
convert
it
to
lower
xenon
oxides.
Due
to
its
instability
and
extreme
reactivity,
XeO4
has
little
practical
use
and
is
primarily
of
interest
for
studying
the
boundaries
of
noble-gas
chemistry
and
high-oxidation-state
bonding.