High-pressure transformations in xenon hydrates

A high-pressure investigation of the Xe⋅H(2)O chemical system was conducted by using diamond-anvil cell techniques combined with in situ Raman spectroscopy, synchrotron x-ray diffraction, and laser heating. Structure I xenon clathrate was observed to be stable up to 1.8 GPa, at which pressure it transforms to a new Xe clathrate phase stable up to 2.5 GPa before breaking down to ice VII plus solid xenon. The bulk modulus and structure of both phases were determined: 9 ± 1 GPa for Xe clathrate A with structure I (cubic, a = 11.595 ± 0.003 Å, V = 1,558.9 ± 1.2 Å(3) at 1.1 GPa) and 45 ± 5 GPa for Xe clathrate B (tetragonal, a = 8.320 ± 0.004 Å, c = 10.287 ± 0.007 Å, V = 712.1 ± 1.2 Å(3) at 2.2 GPa). The extended pressure stability field of Xe clathrate structure I (A) and the discovery of a second Xe clathrate (B) above 1.8 GPa have implications for xenon in terrestrial and planetary interiors.