F3Ge-Xe+: a Xenon-Germanium Molecular Species

The gaseous trifluorogermylxenon cation F3Ge-Xe+, a stable xenon-germanium molecular species, is obtained, under mass spectrometric conditions, from the nucleophilic displacement of HF from protonated GeF4 by Xe. The Xe-inserted isomers F2Ge-Xe-F+, and the bond-redisposed isomer FSi-F-Xe-F+, theoretically less stable than F3Ge-Xe+ by ca. 80-90 kcal mol-1, are not attainable under the employed experimental conditions. The observation of F3Ge-Xe+ enlarges the evidence concerning the conceivable binding partners of xenon.