Xenon as a complex ligand:: The tetra xenono gold(II) cation in AuXe42+(Sb2F11-)2

The first metal-xenon compound with direct gold-xenon bonds is achieved by reduction of AuF3 with elemental xenon. The square planar AuXe42+ cation is established by a single-crystal structure determination, with a gold-xenon bond Length of approximately 274 picometers. The bonding between gold and xenon is of the a donor type, resulting in a charge of approximately 0.4 per xenon atom.