Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Science/2023 September 29

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September 29

Extremes in standard redox potential table

C is the known strongest oxidising agent (criteria:C should be neutral chemical species, or "normal" chemical compound/chemical element, not a moiety, radical or supramolecule) and in various reactions the corresponding common reduction product is C*. So what is the chemical formula/ structural formula of C, and what is the electrode potential value for the couple C/C* (by convention, in volts, measured in standard conditions of environment)? I find out that C cannot be the fluorine gas, but may instead the reactive fluoride compounds of certain transition metals or noble gases, for example ("known" means that the candidate chemical species must have been synthesised in lab and reliably detected by any means). What about the similar case: B is the known strongest reducing agent, in various reactions the corresponding common oxidising product is B*- forms the electrochemical couple B*/B?. Again, there are many mistakes and misconceptions on the Internet as they said that B is nothing other than the alkali metals. I find out that B is more likely one of these compounds: the alkalide and electride compounds, the complexes of various low-valent actinide elements, the lowest carbonyl complexes of transition metals or the metallic compounds of group 13 elements in -5 oxidation state. In a nutshell, what I need is the correct chemical formulae for the coumpound C and compound B, along with the reliable and good sources for the data on the (estimated) reduction potential values of their couples. 2402:800:63BC:EE1A:35EE:814F:BDD:42B4 (talk) 14:43, 29 September 2023 (UTC)

While this isn’t necessarily my designated area of expertise, I looked into this and I think - as a fellow scientist - I have a pretty solid understanding of what you’re asking. The fluoridated electrode potential would be a function of the voltage B* given in relation to valency with respect to the redox potential of a metal, where that redox potential is basically a constant according to electrochemical carboxide tables. It’s actually pretty basic. In a closed system, current potential (i.e. voltage) would be determined by the chemical species, meaning that halide valencies would be dependent on differential charge coupling. More can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. Buckrune (talk) 22:44, 30 September 2023 (UTC)