Technetium(VII) oxide



Technetium(VII) oxide is the chemical compound with the formula Tc2O7. This yellow volatile solid is a rare example of a molecular binary metal oxide, the other examples being RuO4, OsO4, and the unstable Mn2O7. It adopts a centrosymmetric corner-shared bi-tetrahedral structure in which the terminal and bridging Tc&minus;O bonds are 167pm and 184 pm respectively and the Tc&minus;O&minus;Tc angle is 180°.

Technetium(VII) oxide is prepared by the oxidation of technetium at 450–500 °C:
 * 4 Tc +  7 O2  →  2 Tc2O7

It is the anhydride of pertechnetic acid and the precursor to sodium pertechnetate:
 * Tc2O7 + 2 H2O → 2 HTcO4
 * Tc2O7 +  2 NaOH  →  2 NaTcO4  +  H2O