Xenon (Xe)
Xenon is a noble gas used in high-intensity lamps, flash photography, and ion propulsion engines for spacecraft.
Properties of Xenon
- Atomic number
- 54
- Category
- Noble Gas
- Atomic mass
- 131.29 u
- Electron configuration
- [Kr] 4d¹⁰ 5s² 5p⁶
- Melting point
- 161.4 K (-111.75 °C)
- Boiling point
- 165.05 K (-108.1 °C)
- Density
- 0.005887 g/cm³
- Electronegativity (Pauling)
- 2.6
- Appearance
- Colorless gas, blue glow when excited
- Discovered by
- William Ramsay (1898)
Facts about Xenon
- Xenon makes your voice go deep — the opposite of helium!
- Xenon headlights on cars produce a bright bluish-white light!
- NASA uses xenon as fuel for ion engines on spacecraft!
- Xenon's name means "stranger" in Greek!