xenon

• Description
• General information
• Physical data
• Radii
• Electronegativities
• Solid state structure
• Temperatures
• Enthalpies
• Ionization Enthalpies
• Isotopes
• Further information

Description

Xenon is a "noble" or "inert" gas present in the atmosphere to a small extent. Xenon is present in the Martian atmosphere to the extent of about 0.08 ppm. Before 1962, it was generally assumed that xenon and other noble gases were unable to form compounds. Among the compounds of xenon now reported are xenon hydrate, sodium perxenate, xenon deuterate, difluoride, tetrafluoride, hexafluoride, and XePtF₆ and XeRhF₆. The highly explosive xenon trioxide, XeO₃, is known.

Metallic xenon is produced by applying several hundred kilobars of pressure. Xenon in a vacuum tube produces a blue glow when excited by an electrical discharge and finds use in strobe lamps. It is an odourless, colourless, inert gas.

General information

Discoveror: Sir William Ramsay, Morris W. Travers
Date discovered: 1898
Discovered at: England
Meaning of name: From the Greek word "xenos" meaning "stranger"

Physical data

Standard state: gas at 298 K
Colour: colourless
Density of solid at ambient temperature/kg m^-3: no data
Molar volume/cm³: 35.92

Radii /pm

Atomic: 108
Covalent (single bond):
Pauling radius for the ion [Xe]^-: no data

Valence shell orbital radius maxima (R_max)

orbital	s	p	d	f
radius	90.7	102.7	39.5	no data

Electronegativities

Both values are quoted on the Pauling scale.

Pauling: 2.60
Allred Rochow: 2.40

Crystal Structure

structure: ccp (cubic close-packed)

The following CrystalMaker image represents the solid state structure. For most elements, the most stable allotrope is illustrated. Try WebElements version 2 for interactive virtual reality and CHIME images.

Temperatures (/K)

melting point: 161.4
boiling point: 161.4

Enthalpies /kJ mol^-1

fusion: 2.30
vaporization: 12.6

single bond enthalpies:

Xe-F	Xe-Cl	Xe-Br	Xe-I	Xe-Xe
126	no data	no data	no data	6.53

Ionization enthalpies /kJ mol^-1

Number	Enthalpy
1st	1170.4
2nd	2046
3rd	3097

Isotopes

This section gives some data for naturally occurring isotopes.

Nominal mass	Accurate mass	% natural abundance
124Xe	123.9058942 (22)	0.10 (1)
126Xe	125.904281 (8)	0.09 (1)
128Xe	127.9035312 (17)	1.91 (3)
129Xe	128.9047801 (21)	26.4 (6)
130Xe	129.9035094 (17)	4.1 (1)
131Xe	130.905072 (5)	21.2 (4)
132Xe	131.904144 (5)	26.9 (5)
134Xe	133.905395 (8)	10.4 (2)
136Xe	135.907214 (8)	8.9 (1)

Further Information

• Additional information about WebElements 1.2.2
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• For further information please try WebElements version 2
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