Question

What happens when Xe (g) is heated with dioxygen gas in a sealed tube?

• A. Only $Xe{O}_3$ is formed
• B. Initially $Xe{O}_3$ is formed which slowly gets oxidized to $Xe{O}_4$
• C. A mixture of both $Xe{O}_3$ and $Xe{O}_4$ is obtained
• D. No reaction

Answer 1

The correct option is D No reaction

For the reaction,
$Xe\left(g\right)+O_2\left(g\right)\to \text{xenon oxides}{\Delta }_f{G}^{\circ }$ > $0$
In other words, the standard change in free energy of the reaction is positive. Hence, this reaction is non-spontaneous. None of the Xenon oxides can be synthesized from this approach. So how can they be obtained?