Solid-State 129Xe and 131Xe NMR Study of the Perxenate Anion XeO64-

Noble Gas Anions: An Overview of Strategies and Bonding Motifs

This review article aims to provide an overview of the strategies employed to prepare noble gas anions under different environments and experimental conditions, and of the bonding motifs typically occurring in these species. Observed systems include anions fixed into synthesized salts, detected in the gas phase or in high-pressure devices. The major role of the theoretical calculations is also highlighted, not only in support of the experiments, but also as effective in predicting still unreported species. The chemistry of noble gas anions overall appears as a varied and rich paint, offering fascinating opportunities for both experimentalists and theoreticians.

Recent advances in solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of exotic nuclei

We present a review of recent advances in solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) studies of exotic nuclei. Exotic nuclei may be spin-1/2 or quadrupolar, and typically have low gyromagnetic ratios, low natural abundances, large quadrupole moments (when I > 1/2), or some combination of these properties, generally resulting in low receptivities and/or prohibitively broad line widths. Some nuclides are little studied for other reasons, also rendering them somewhat exotic. We first discuss some of the recent progress in pulse sequences and hardware development which continues to enable researchers to study new kinds of materials as well as previously unfeasible nuclei. This is followed by a survey of applications to a wide range of exotic nuclei (including e.g., ⁹Be, ²⁵Mg, ³³S, ³⁹K, ⁴³Ca, ^47/49Ti, ⁵³Cr, ⁵⁹Co, ⁶¹Ni, ⁶⁷Zn, ⁷³Ge, ⁷⁵As, ⁸⁷Sr, ¹¹⁵In, ¹¹⁹Sn, ^121/123Sb, ^135/137Ba, ^185/187Re, ²⁰⁹Bi), most of them quadrupolar. The scope of the review is the past ten years, i.e., 2007-2017.

Perovskites with the Framework-Forming Xenon

The Group 18 elements (noble gases) were the last ones in the periodic system to have not been encountered in perovskite structures. We herein report the synthesis of a new group of double perovskites KM(XeNaO6) (M = Ca, Sr, Ba) containing framework-forming xenon. The structures of the new compounds, like other double perovskites, are built up of the alternating sequence of corner-sharing (XeO6) and (NaO6) octahedra arranged in a three-dimensional rocksalt order. The fact that xenon can be incorporated into the perovskite structure provides new insights into the problem of Xe depletion in the atmosphere. Since octahedrally coordinated Xe(VIII) and Si(IV) exhibit close values of ionic radii (0.48 and 0.40 Å, respectively), one could assume that Xe(VIII) can be incorporated into hyperbaric frameworks such as MgSiO3 perovskite. The ability of Xe to form stable inorganic frameworks can further extend the rich and still enigmatic chemistry of this noble gas.

Theoretical investigation of HNgNH3(+) ions (Ng = He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe)

The equilibrium geometries, harmonic frequencies, and dissociation energies of HNgNH3(+) ions (Ng = He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe) were investigated using the following method: Becke-3-parameter-Lee-Yang-Parr (B3LYP), Boese-Matrin for Kinetics (BMK), second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2), and coupled-cluster with single and double excitations as well as perturbative inclusion of triples (CCSD(T)). The results indicate that HHeNH3(+), HArNH3(+), HKrNH3(+), and HXeNH3(+) ions are metastable species that are protected from decomposition by high energy barriers, whereas the HNeNH3(+) ion is unstable because of its relatively small energy barrier for decomposition. The bonding nature of noble-gas atoms in HNgNH3(+) was also analyzed using the atoms in molecules approach, natural energy decomposition analysis, and natural bond orbital analysis.

Review: gas-phase ion chemistry of the noble gases: recent advances and future perspectives

This review article surveys recent experimental and theoretical advances in the gas-phase ion chemistry of the noble gases. Covered issues include the interaction of the noble gases with metal and non-metal cations, the conceivable existence of covalent noble-gas anions, the occurrence of ion-molecule reactions involving singly-charged xenon cations, and the occurrence of bond-forming reactions involving doubly-charged cations. Research themes are also highlighted, that are expected to attract further interest in the future.

Hyperpolarized (131)Xe NMR spectroscopy

Hyperpolarized (hp) (131)Xe with up to 2.2% spin polarization (i.e., 5000-fold signal enhancement at 9.4 T) was obtained after separation from the rubidium vapor of the spin-exchange optical pumping (SEOP) process. The SEOP was applied for several minutes in a stopped-flow mode, and the fast, quadrupolar-driven T(1) relaxation of this spin I = 3/2 noble gas isotope required a rapid subsequent rubidium removal and swift transfer into the high magnetic field region for NMR detection. Because of the xenon density dependent (131)Xe quadrupolar relaxation in the gas phase, the SEOP polarization build-up exhibits an even more pronounced dependence on xenon partial pressure than that observed in (129)Xe SEOP. (131)Xe is the only stable noble gas isotope with a positive gyromagnetic ratio and shows therefore a different relative phase between hp signal and thermal signal compared to all other noble gases. The gas phase (131)Xe NMR spectrum displays a surface and magnetic field dependent quadrupolar splitting that was found to have additional gas pressure and gas composition dependence. The splitting was reduced by the presence of water vapor that presumably influences xenon-surface interactions. The hp (131)Xe spectrum shows differential line broadening, suggesting the presence of strong adsorption sites. Beyond hp (131)Xe NMR spectroscopy studies, a general equation for the high temperature, thermal spin polarization, P, for spin I ≥ 1/2 nuclei is presented.

Noble gas anions: a theoretical investigation of FNgBN- (Ng = He-Xe)

Noble gas anions of general formula FNgBN- (Ng = He-Xe) have been investigated by MP2, coupled-cluster, and multireference-CI calculations with correlation-consistent basis sets. These species reside in deep wells on the singlet potential energy surface and are thermodynamically stable with respect to the loss of F, F-, BN, and BN-. They are unstable with respect to Ng + FBN-, but at least for Ng = Ar, Kr, and Xe, the involved energy barriers are high enough to suggest their conceivable existence as metastable species. The stability of FNgBN- arises from the strong F--stabilization of the elusive NgBN. The character of the boron-noble gas bond passes from purely ionic for FHeBN- and FNeBN- to covalent for FXeBN-.