Hydrogen polonide
Encyclopedia
Hydrogen polonide is a chemical compound with the formula H
2Po
. It is a more covalent compound than most metal hydrides because polonium is more like a nonmetal. It is intermediate with a hydrogen halide like hydrogen chloride
and a metal hydride like stannane
.
It should have properties similar to that of hydrogen telluride
and hydrogen selenide
, other borderline hydrides
. It is not stable at room temperature and must be stored at freezer temperatures to prevent reversion to elemental polonium and hydrogen.
It is difficult to work with due to the extreme radioactivity of polonium and its compounds and has only been prepared in very dilute tracer quantities. As a result its physical properties are not definitely known.
It would be acidic if dissolved in water, forming a solution of hydropolonic acid, although this experiment would be almost impossible to do because of the instability and radioactivity of polonium.
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
2Po
Polonium
Polonium is a chemical element with the symbol Po and atomic number 84, discovered in 1898 by Marie Skłodowska-Curie and Pierre Curie. A rare and highly radioactive element, polonium is chemically similar to bismuth and tellurium, and it occurs in uranium ores. Polonium has been studied for...
. It is a more covalent compound than most metal hydrides because polonium is more like a nonmetal. It is intermediate with a hydrogen halide like hydrogen chloride
Hydrogen chloride
The compound hydrogen chloride has the formula HCl. At room temperature, it is a colorless gas, which forms white fumes of hydrochloric acid upon contact with atmospheric humidity. Hydrogen chloride gas and hydrochloric acid are important in technology and industry...
and a metal hydride like stannane
Stannane
Stannane is the hydride of tin. Stannane can be prepared by the reaction of SnCl4 and LiAlH4. Stannane decomposes slowly at room temperature to give metallic tin and hydrogen and ignites on contact with air....
.
It should have properties similar to that of hydrogen telluride
Hydrogen telluride
Hydrogen telluride is the inorganic compound with the formula H2Te. The simplest hydride of tellurium, it is rarely encountered because of it decomposes rapidly to the constituent elements. Most compounds with Te-H bonds are unstable with respect to loss of H2. H2Te is chemically and structurally...
and hydrogen selenide
Hydrogen selenide
Hydrogen selenide is the inorganic compound with the formula H2Se. It is the simplest and virtually the only hydride of selenium. H2Se is a colorless, flammable gas under standard conditions. It is the most toxic selenium compound with an exposure limit: 0.05 ppm over an 8 hour period...
, other borderline hydrides
Borderline hydrides
Borderline hydrides typically refer to hydrides formed of hydrogen and elements of the periodic table in group 11 and group 12 and indium and thallium . These compounds have properties intermediate between covalent hydrides and saline hydrides...
. It is not stable at room temperature and must be stored at freezer temperatures to prevent reversion to elemental polonium and hydrogen.
It is difficult to work with due to the extreme radioactivity of polonium and its compounds and has only been prepared in very dilute tracer quantities. As a result its physical properties are not definitely known.
It would be acidic if dissolved in water, forming a solution of hydropolonic acid, although this experiment would be almost impossible to do because of the instability and radioactivity of polonium.