Xenon as a complex ligand: the tetra xenono Gold(II) cation in AuXe(4)2+(Sb(2)F(11)-)(2).

The first metal-xenon compound with direct gold-xenon bonds is achieved by reduction of AuF(3) with elemental xenon. The square planar AuXe(4)2+ cation is established by a single-crystal structure determination, with a gold-xenon bond length of approximately 274 picometers. The bonding between gold and xenon is of the final sigma donor type, resulting in a charge of approximately 0.4 per xenon atom.