Xenon (Xe)

Colorless gas

Xenon is a noble gas used in spacecraft ion engines, car headlights, and general anesthesia, and despite being a noble gas, xenon forms compounds like XeF₂, XeF₄, and XeO₃. Xenon-133 is used in lung ventilation studies and xenon ions produce 1.8 kW of thrust in ion propulsion systems.

Key metrics

Density0.0059g/cm³

Melting point161K

Boiling point165K

Electronegativity2.6Pauling

Discovery

1898discovered

Discovered by: William Ramsay
Reactivity profile: Mostly inert
Reactivity: Low
Bonding: Covalent

Electron configuration

\textcolor{#6b7280}{[Kr]}\; \textcolor{#22c55e}{4_{d}^{10}}\; \textcolor{#ef4444}{5_{s}^{2}}\; \textcolor{#3b82f6}{5_{p}^{6}}

[Kr] 4d10 5s2 5p6

Wave function

\Psi_{\text{Xe}} \approx \frac{1}{\sqrt{54!}} \det \left| \chi_1(\mathbf{r}_1) \dots \chi_{54}(\mathbf{r}_{54}) \right|

Probability density $|\Psi|^2$ across the Xe valence shell.

Crystal structure

Face-Centered Cubic

Lattice constantsa = 1.00

Cell anglesα = β = γ = 90°

Coordination number12

Atoms per cell4

Atomic packing factor0.74

Physical properties

Atomic radius: 108 pm
Ionization energy: 1170 kJ/mol
Electron affinity: 0 kJ/mol
Crystal structure: Face-centered cubic (fcc)

Oxidation states

0+2+4+6

Acid/base

Neutral

Strongly acidicStrongly basic

State at 25 °CGas

161 K165 K298 K

Emission spectrum

4 transitions

380450500550600650700780

VioletBlueGreenYellowRed

462.4nmXe I (blue)Blue100%

467.1nmXe IBlue80%

480.7nmXe I (blue-green)Blue60%

492.3nmXe I (green)Cyan50%

Dominant line 462.4 nmRange 462–492 nmTransitions 4