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Covalent Radii of Noble Gas Atoms and Position of Hydrogen in the Periodic System of Elements

Abstract

IN connexion with the discussion initiated in the article by Dash1 on the position of hydrogen in the periodic system of elements, I wish to say that one cannot disagree with the critical notice of Hawes2, who has stressed that it is not correct to express the ‘atomic size’ of members of the noble gas family in terms of their van der Waals radii (the only radii which are conveniently measurable) while for other elements (in the comparisons presented by Dash) covalent or metallic radii are used. Although, as Dash3 has stated in his reply, the noble gas elements do not form homopolar covalent aggregates, the discovery during 1962–64 of a large number of noble gas compounds makes possible nowadays the estimation of covalent radii for these elements on the basis of their heteroatomic compounds, Such an attempt has been made by myself and colleagues4.

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References

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BAŃKOWSKI, Z. Covalent Radii of Noble Gas Atoms and Position of Hydrogen in the Periodic System of Elements. Nature 209, 71–72 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1038/209071a0

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