Argon difluoride stabilized at high pressure

Abstract

On account of the rapid development of noble gas chemistry in the past half-century both xenon and krypton compounds can now be isolated in macroscopic quantities. The same though does not hold true for the next lighter group 18 element, argon, which forms only isolated molecules stable solely in low-temperature matrices or supersonic jet streams. Here we present theoretical investigations into a new high-pressure reaction pathway which enables synthesis of Ar-bearing compounds in bulk and at room temperature.