Ultraviolet Photolysis Studies on XeO4 in Noble‐Gas and F2 Matrices and the Formation and Characterization of a New XeVIII Oxide, (η2‐O2)XeO3

The photolytic behavior of the thermochemically unstable xenon(VIII) oxide XeO4 was investigated by UV irradiation in noble-gas and F2 matrices. Photolysis of Xe(16) O4 or Xe(18) O4 in noble-gas matrices at 365 nm yielded XeO3 and a new xenon(VIII) oxide, namely, (η(2) -O2 )XeO3 , which, along with XeO4 , was characterized by matrix-isolation IR spectroscopy and quantum-chemical calculations. Calculations of the UV spectrum showed that the photodecomposition is induced by an n→σ* transition, but the nature of the excitation differs when different light sources are used. There is strong evidence for the formation of mobile (1) D excited O atoms in the case of excitation at 365 nm, which led to the formation of (η(2) -O2 )XeO3 by reaction with XeO4 . Matrix-isolation IR spectroscopy in Ne and Ar matrices afforded the natural-abundance xenon isotopic pattern for the ν3 (T2 ) stretching mode of Xe(16) O4 , and (18) O enrichment provided the (16) O/(18) O isotopic shifts of XeO4 and (η(2) -O2 )XeO3 .