Comment on the correctness of this statement: All compounds containing a noble gas atom violate the octet rule.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The statement is incorrect. While it is true that noble gases are generally chemically inert due to their full valence electron shells, under certain specific conditions, they can form compounds like Xenon hexafluoroplatinate and Krypton difluoride, both of which obey the octet rule.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding the Octet Rule

The Octet Rule is a chemical rule of thumb that reflects the theory that main-group elements tend to bond in such a way that each atom has eight electrons in its valence shell, giving it the same electronic configuration as a noble gas. It is especially applicable to the second period elements in the periodic table, namely C, N, O, and F.
02

Understanding Noble Gases

Noble gases are elements from group 18 of the periodic table. They are all odorless, colorless gases with very low chemical reactivity. The seven naturally occurring noble gases are composed of helium (He), neon (Ne), argon (Ar), krypton (Kr), xenon (Xe), the radioactive radon (Rn), and the synthetic element oganesson (Og). Because noble gases have full valence electron shells, they are generally chemically inert.
03

Contradicting the Statement

While noble gases tend to be chemically inert due to their full valence electron shells, they can, under certain specific and extreme conditions, form compounds with other elements. For example, Xenon (Xe) forms Xenon hexafluoroplatinate (XePtF6) and Krypton (Kr) forms Krypton difluoride (KrF2). These compounds obey the octet rule, as Xenon and Krypton in these compounds have eight electrons in their valence shell. Thus, the stated claim that all compounds containing a noble gas atom violate the octet rule is not correct as there exist exceptions.

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