Reactions of Rhenium |
Reactions with water |
Rhenium does not react with water under normal conditions. |
Reactions with air |
As it tarnishes only very slowly in moist air. In practice, however, rhenium is often supplied as a powder or as a sponge,
and in this form it is much more reactive. When heated with oxygen the result is rhenium (VII) oxide
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4Re(s) + 7O2(g)2Re2O7(s) |
Reactions with halogens |
When heated with fluorine the result is a mixture of rhenium(VI) fluoride and rhenium (VII) fluoride.
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Re(s) + 3F2(g)ReF6(s) |
2Re(s) + 7F2(g)2ReF7(s) |
If fluorine is burned under pressure at 400°C then then sole product is rhenium heptafluoride.
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Reactions with acids |
In similar fashion to technetium, immediately above rhenium in the periodic table, rhenium is insoluble in hydrochloric acid
(HCl) and hydrofluoric acid (HF). It does dissolve in nitric acid, HNO3, or concentrated sulphuric acid, H2SO4, both of which are oxidizing, to form solutions of perrhenic acid, HReO4. In this form, the rhenium is in the formal +7 oxidation state.
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