Xenon

54

Xe

131.293(6)
  • Name: Xenon
  • Symbol: Xe
  • Atomic number: 54
  • Atomic weight: 131.293(6)
  • CAS Registry ID: 7440-63-3
  • Group name: Noble gas
  • Period number: 5
  • Block: p-block
  • Switch:
  • Compare Element

Description

Xenon is a colorless, odorless, noble gas. Xenon can be oxidized by strong oxidizing agents, and it emits a blue or lavender glow when exposed to electrical discharge. Xenon has an atomic weight of 131.293, a melting point of - 169.1 °F, and a boiling point of - 162.62 °F. Common uses of xenon include: as a major component in xenon flash lamps and xenon arc lamps, as a starter gas for high pressure sodium lamps, as a component of some lasers, and in general anesthetic.

enlarge image

Isolation

Xenon is found in trace amounts in the earth’s atmosphere; it is also released in gaseous form from some mineral springs. Isolation processes for xenon rely on extracting it out of the air.

enlarge image

Xenon is extracted on a large scale for commercial use as a by-product from separating the air into oxygen and nitrogen. Fractional distillation is used in a double column plant to obtain liquid oxygen. The liquid oxygen that is collected from fraction distillation also contains small amounts of krypton and xenon. Further reduction through multiple fractional distillation steps increases the concentration of krypton and xenon in the liquid oxygen. Silica gel is used to absorb the krypton and xenon, or distillation is used to further extract the elements from the oxygen. The final step involves separating the krypton and xenon through distillation using the differing boiling points of the elements. Xenon is stored in its pure form in pressurized metal cylinders. A very small amount of xenon can be produced and isolated from neutron irradiation of fissionable compounds, but this xenon has radioactive properties. Xenon is considered to be non-toxic but many compounds of xenon are toxic.
General
Name Xenon
Symbol Xe
Number 54
Chemical series noble gases
Group 18
Period 5
Block p
Appearance colorless gas
Standard atomic weight 131.293(6) g·mol−1
Electron configuration [Kr] 4d10 5s2 5p6
Electrons per shell 2, 8, 18, 18, 8
Atomic properties
Crystal structure cubic face centered
Oxidation states 0, +1, +2, +4, +6, +8
Electronegativity 2.6 (Pauling scale)
Ionization energies 1st: 1170.4 kJ/mol
(more) 2nd: 2046.4 kJ/mol
(more) 3rd: 3099.4 kJ/mol
Atomic radius
Atomic radius (calc.) 108 pm
Covalent radius 130 pm
Van der Waals radius 216 pm
Physical properties
Phase gas
Density (near r.t.) (0 °C, 101.325 kPa) 5.894 g/L
Liquid density at m.p.
Melting point (101.325 kPa) 161.4 K (-111.7 °C, -169.1 °F)
Boiling point (101.325 kPa) 165.03 K (-108.12 °C, -162.62 °F)
Critical point 289.77 K, 5.841 MPa
Heat of fusion (101.325 kPa) 2.27 kJ·mol−1
Heat of vaporization (101.325 kPa) 12.64 kJ·mol−1
Heat capacity (100 kPa, 25 °C) 20.786 J·mol−1·K−1
Miscellaneous
Magnetic ordering nonmagnetic
Electrical resistivity
Thermal conductivity (300 K) 5.65 m W·m−1·K−1
Thermal expansion
Speed of sound (thin rod) (liquid) 1090 m/s
Young's modulus
Shear modulus
Bulk modulus
Poisson ratio
Mohs hardness
Vickers hardness
Brinell hardness
CAS registry number 7440-63-3

Print this page Bookmark this page

Hide/View all projects Hide all projects Hide/View all projects

All Projects List
  • Accelerate Rusting
    		•
  • Ant Microphotography
    		•
  • Apple Mummy
    		•
  • Balloon Rocket Car
    		•
  • Barney Banana
    		•
  • Bending Water
    		•
  • Bernoulli’s Principle
    		•
  • Blind Spot in Vision
    		•
  • Boiling Point of Water
    		•
  • Caffeine And Typing
    		•
  • Candy Molecules
    		•
  • Capillarity of Soils
    		•
  • Checking vs. Savings
    		•
  • Cleaning Oil Spills
    		•
  • Cloud Cover
    		•
  • CO2 & Photosynthesis
    		•
  • Collecting DNA
    		•
  • Colorful Celery
    		•
  • Colors And Temperature
    		•
  • Composition of a Shell
    		•
  • Computer Passwords
    		•
  • Corrosiveness of Soda
    		•
  • Create a Heat Detector
    		•
  • Create Lightening
    		•
  • Cultivate Slime Molds
    		•
  • Desalinate Sea Water
    		•
  • Detergents and Plants
    		•
  • Dissolving in Liquids
    		•
  • Distillation of Water
    		•
  • Double Color Flower
    		•
  • Egg in a Bottle
    		•
  • Eroding Away
    		•
  • Expanding Soap
    		•
  • Extracting Starch
    		•
  • Fans And Body Temp
    		•
  • Fertilizer & Plants
    		•
  • Filtration of Water
    		•
  • Floating Ball Experiment
    		•
  • Floating Balloon
    		•
  • Fog Formation
    		•
  • Font and Memory
    		•
  • Food and Academics
    		•
  • Fruit Battery Power
    		•
  • Full and Low Fat Foods
    		•
  • Galileo's Experiment
    		•
  • Grape Juice & Cleaners
    		•
  • Gravity and Plants
    		•
  • Green Slime
    		•
  • Growing a Crystal
    		•
  • Growing Bread Mold
    		•
  • Homemade Snowflakes
    		•
  • Home-made Stethoscope
    		•
  • Homemade Volcano
    		•
  • Human Battery Power
    		•
  • Inertia of an Egg
  • Information and CD’s
    		•
  • Invisible Ink
    		•
  • Jar Compass
    		•
  • Lemon Floaties
    		•
  • Levers And Force
    		•
  • Lift an Ice Cube
    		•
  • Light Colors and Plants
    		•
  • Long Lasting Bubbles
    		•
  • Magic Balloons
    		•
  • Make a Compost Pile
    		•
  • Make Limestone
    		•
  • Make Objects Float
    		•
  • Make your own sundial
    		•
  • Matchbox Guitar
    		•
  • Math and Gender
    		•
  • Mean, Median and Range
    		•
  • Measuring Air Pollution
    		•
  • Mentos Soda Volcano
    		•
  • Milky Plastic
    		•
  • Mini Greenhouse
    		•
  • Missing Reflection
    		•
  • Molls Experiment
    		•
  • Music and Plants
  • Musical Bottles
    		•
  • Nocturnal Plants
    		•
  • Ocean Life & Oil Spills
    		•
  • Ocean Temperature
  • Optical Mice
    		•
  • Oral Bacteria
    		•
  • Organic vs. Inorganic
    		•
  • Osmosis
    		•
  • Oxygen & Photosynthesis
    		•
  • Pascal’s Law
    		•
  • Play-Doh and Volume
    		•
  • Preserve Spider Webs
    		•
  • Pressure Volcano
    		•
  • Pulse Rates
    		•
  • Pythagorean Tuning
    		•
  • Refraction in Water
    		•
  • Rollercoasters & Loops
    		•
  • Rubbery Egg
    		•
  • Rust and Moisture
    		•
  • Search Engines
    		•
  • Seed Germination
    		•
  • Separate Salt And Pepper
    		•
  • Snappy Sounds
    		•
  • Soil Erosion
    		•
  • Soil vs. Hydroponics
    		•
  • Spectrum through Water
  • Speed of Decomposition
    		•
  • Spore Prints
    		•
  • Static Electricity
  • Statistics and M&M’s
    		•
  • Stem-less Flowers
    		•
  • Super Strength Egg
    		•
  • Temperature and CPUs
    		•
  • Thirsty Rocks
    		•
  • Tornado Demonstration
    		•
  • Translucent Egg
    		•
  • Transpiration in Plants
    		•
  • Typing and Speed
  • Vibrating Coin
    		•
  • Volcanic Gas
    		•
  • Water and Living Things
    		•
  • Water Displacement
    		•
  • Water Evaporation
    		•
  • Water pH
    		•

    All Categories