Answer: Low temperature and high pressure (Le Chatelier), but kinetics require compromise at ~450°C and ~1-2 atm.
- A Low temperature and high pressure (Le Chatelier), but kinetics require compromise at ~450°C and ~1-2 atm
- B Operating at the highest practical reactor temperature regardless of the resulting yield as frequently described
- C Maintaining a very low pressure throughout the entire reactor vessel times in most textbook accounts
- D Combining a high reactor temperature with a low operating pressure to maximise yield during normal conditions
Correct answer: A. Low temperature and high pressure (Le Chatelier), but kinetics require compromise at ~450°C and ~1-2 atm
Explanation: Higher yield thermodynamically at lower T (exothermic), but too low T makes reaction too slow. ~450°C is the kinetic/thermodynamic compromise.
Xenon tetrafluoride (XeF4) has six electron domains around xenon — four Xe–F bonds plus two lone pairs. The lone pairs occupy opposite axial positions, leaving the four fluorine atoms in a square-planar shape (Xe–F ≈ 194 pm). Image: ChemSim, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Concept context
Covers the nitrogen family (Group 15), oxygen family (Group 16), halogens (Group 17), and noble gases (Group 18). One of the highest-weightage inorganic chapters in NEET and JEE - includes preparation and properties of HNO₃, H₂SO₄, interhalogens, and xenon compounds.