Enthelpy of Formation of Tetraoxygen

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the Standard Enthalpy of Formation of Tetraoxygen (O4), exploring its theoretical existence, structural forms, and the challenges in obtaining definitive measurements due to its rarity and instability.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant inquires about the Standard Enthalpy of Formation of Tetraoxygen, expressing difficulty in finding clear answers in existing literature.
  • Another participant references the Wikipedia page discussing the structural forms of Tetraoxygen, specifically mentioning the "pinwheel" and "puckered ring" configurations.
  • A participant expresses interest in the theoretical shapes of Tetraoxygen and notes budget constraints in accessing reference papers.
  • A later reply highlights that theoretical calculations suggest the existence of metastable O4 molecules in different shapes, emphasizing the theoretical nature of these predictions.
  • One participant suggests that the short-lived and rare nature of Tetraoxygen may hinder the ability to measure its enthalpy of formation accurately.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the Standard Enthalpy of Formation of Tetraoxygen, with multiple competing views regarding its theoretical existence and the challenges in measurement remaining unresolved.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the dependence on theoretical calculations and the lack of empirical data due to the instability and rarity of Tetraoxygen.

James Essig
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I am curious as to what is the Standard Enthalpy Of Formation is of Tetraoxygen in kJ/mol. I am assuming reference to the molar weight of the Tetraoxygen molecule. I seem to only find papers on the subject which are abstruse with detail but no clear answer to my inquiry. I have little formal schooling in chemistry but am doing some free lance research.
 
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Either one or both would be cool. I would down load some of the reference papers in the Wikipedia reference but currently am on a tight budget.
 
"Theoretical calculations have predicted the existence of metastable O4 molecules with two different shapes: a "puckered" square like cyclobutane or S4,[7] and a "pinwheel" with three oxygen atoms surrounding a central one in a trigonal planar formation similar to boron trifluoride.[8][9]" --- Wiki
What part of "theoretical" are you not understanding? Last time I checked, first ionization potential of He wasn't calculable from first principles; tetraoxygen has several times the number of primary particles as He.
 
Bystander, that's fine. I guess the answer to my question has been resolved. I appreciate you looking into this for me. My guess is that the tetra-oxygen is so short lived and so rare that not enough of it can be produced to do the measurements.
 

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