Xenon

Element	Xenon
Symbol	Xe
Atomic Number	54
Molar Mass	131.3 gmol^-1
Electron Configuration	[Kr]4d¹⁰5s²5p⁶
Normal State	gas nonmetal
Density @STP	5.9x10^-3 g cm^-3
Melting Point	-112^oC
Boiling Point	-108^oC
Stable Isotopes	¹²⁴Xe, ¹²⁶Xe, ¹²⁸Xe, ¹²⁹Xe, ¹³⁰Xe, ¹³¹Xe, ¹³²Xe, ¹³⁶Xe
Atomic Radius	218 pm
Ionic Radius	190 (1-) pm
Electronegativity (Pauling)	2.6
Ionization Energy (1^st)	1170 kJ mol^-1
Ionization Energy (2^nd)	2046 kJ mol^-1
Ionization Energy (3^rd)	3097 kJ mol^-1
Molar Heat Capacity	20.8 J K^-1mol^-1
Standard Molar Entropy	169.7 J K^-1mol^-1
Enthalpy of Fusion	3.1 kJ mol^-1
Enthalpy of Vapourization	12.65 kJ mol^-1

[Back to Periodic table]

Xenon is a colorless dense odorless noble gas element
Xenon discovered and first isolated William Ramsay and Morris Travers (1898)
Xenon named from the Greek 'xenos' meaning stranger
Xenon is present in the atmosphere at a concentration of 0.086 parts per million by volume
Xenon can be found in the gases that evolve from certain mineral springs
Xenon is obtained commercially by extraction from liquid air
Xenon is generally inert but does undergo a few chemical reactions (xenon hexafluoroplatinate, the first noble gas compound to be synthesized)
Xenon has a density about 4.5 times the density of air
Liquid xenon has a high polarizability due to its large atomic volume and thus is an excellent solvent
Xenon at extreme pressure forms a metallic solid phase
Xenon produces a blue glow when excited by an electrical discharge
Xenon has the lowest thermal conductivity and lowest ionization potential of all the non-radioactive noble gases
Xenon is composed of eight stable isotopes. This is more than any other element except tin
Although xenon is rare and relatively expensive to extract from the Earth's atmosphere, it has a number of applications
Xenon is used in light-emitting devices called xenon flash lamps, used in photographic flashes, stroboscopic lamps, UV lamps and bactericidal lamps
Xenon arc lamps have a color temperature closely approximating sunlight
Xenon lamps are also used in ruby lasers
Xenon has been used as a general anesthetic
Xenon is used in bubble chambers, probes, particle detectors and in other areas where a high molecular weight and inert chemistry is desirable
Xenon is the preferred propellant for ion propulsion of spacecraft because it has low ionization potential per atomic weight
Xenon difluoride is used to etch silicon microprocessors
Xenon has no known biological role. It is not itself toxic, but its compounds are highly toxic because they are strong oxidising agents

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