Why do argon and flourine not form compounds like Xenon Flourides?
The outer electrons are further away in XeFl. They can be persuaded to react (although begrudgingly)
The reason argon and fluorine do not form compounds like xenon fluorides is because of their electron configurations and the nature of their chemical bonding.
To understand why, let's first consider the electron configurations of argon (Ar) and xenon (Xe). Argon has a completely filled electron configuration in its outermost energy level, with 8 electrons in the valence shell (2s^2 2p^6). This makes argon very stable and unreactive. On the other hand, xenon has a partially filled valence shell (5s^2 5p^6), which makes it more reactive and capable of forming compounds.
Now, let's focus on fluorine (F). Fluorine has 7 valence electrons (2s^2 2p^5) and only needs to gain one electron to achieve a stable, noble gas configuration. When fluorine reacts with xenon, it can easily accept an electron from xenon, forming a strong ionic bond in xenon fluorides (such as XeF2, XeF4, or XeF6). This is due to the electronegativity difference between the highly electronegative fluorine and the electropositive xenon.
In the case of argon, its stable electron configuration does not readily allow for electron transfer or sharing with fluorine. Argon is already at its most stable state, so it has no strong driving force to react with fluorine to form chemical compounds.
Therefore, the inability of argon and fluorine to form compounds like xenon fluorides is mainly attributed to their different electron configurations and levels of reactivity.