Chapter 6

Question 1

1. (a) Discuss the synthesis and reactivity of xenon fluorides. (b) Why is it easier to prepare xenon compounds than argon compounds?

Answer 1

Question 2

2. Given the fact that the noble gases have a closed-shell ground state electronic configuration, why do they still do reactions?

Answer 2

Question 3

3. Helium has the highest ionization energy of all elements, its atomic volume is much larger than predicted on the basis of trends in the plot of atomic volume versus atomic number (Lothar Meyer plot), and it does not form a solid when cooled to very low temperatures under its own vapor pressure. How can these remarkable properties be explained?

Answer 3

Question 4

4. Discuss the N/N + 10 relationship between osmium and xenon (see also Chapter 5).

Answer 4

Question 5

5. Explain why the noble gases show a smooth, gradual increase in melting and boiling points as a function of increasing atomic number? Why does the first ionization potential shows a decreasing trend with increasing atomic number?

Answer 5

Question 6

6. (a) What are clathrates? (b) What type of clathrates are formed by the noble gases? (c) How can they be obtained? (d) Why are they non-stoichiometric compounds? (e) Why do helium and neon not form such clathrates?

Answer 6

Question 7

7. (a) Although Mendeleev was successful in predicting the properties of unknown elements, he failed to predict the existence of the noble gases. There was no place for the noble gases in his periodic table. How can this be explained? (b) The discovery of the noble gases also threatened the acceptance of the periodic table by the chemical community. How was this crisis solved? (See also Chapter 2).

Answer 7