Q.(a) SF6 is known but SH6 is not known. Explain.
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →SF's existence (and SH's non-existence) comes down to fluorine's small size and high electronegativity; HX acidity rises down the group as bond strength falls; XeF/XeOF are made by direct fluorination and controlled hydrolysis respectively.
(a) SF known, SH not known: Fluorine is the smallest and most electronegative halogen. Its small size allows six fluorine atoms to be packed tightly around the sulfur atom (using hybridisation, S expanding its octet with d-orbitals) without excessive steric strain, and the resulting S-F bonds are strong and the molecule is kinetically very inert (the F atoms shield S from attack, e.g. by water). Hydrogen, by contrast, cannot stabilise sulfur in the +6 oxidation state in the same way — a hypothetical SH has never been isolated because it is thermodynamically/kinetically unstable. In short, only the highly electronegative, small fluorine atom can support and kinetically protect sulfur's maximum +6 oxidation state in a hydride-like MX species.
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