Noble-gas-induced disproportionation reactions: facile superoxo-to-peroxo conversion on chromium dioxide

Laser-evaporated chromium atoms are shown to insert into dioxygen to form CrO 2 in solid argon. Annealing allows diffusion and reactions to form (eta (2)-O 2) 2CrO 2, which is characterized as [(O 2 (-)) 2(CrO 2) (2+)], a side-on bonded disuperoxo-chromium dioxide complex. The (eta (2)-O 2) 2CrO 2 complex further reacts with xenon atom doped in solid argon to give (eta (1)-OO)(eta (2)-O 2)CrO 2(Xe), which can be regarded as an O 2 molecule weakly interacting with [(O 2) (2-)(CrO 2) (2+)Xe], a side-on bonded peroxo-chromium dioxide-xenon complex. The results indicate surprisingly that xenon atom induces a disproportionation reaction from superoxo to peroxo and dioxygen complex.