Xenon is a colorless, odorless noble gas with the chemical symbol Xe and atomic number 54, consisting of single atoms with a complete outer electron shell. Discovered in 1898 by William Ramsay and Morris Travers as a residue from liquid air distillation, xenon gets its name from the Greek word “xenos” meaning “stranger,” reflecting its rarity at just 0.087 parts per million in Earth’s atmosphere. Despite being classified as chemically inert, xenon surprised scientists in 1962 by forming the first noble gas compounds, while its unique properties – from producing brilliant white light in arc lamps to serving as a safe anesthetic – have made it invaluable across diverse fields. This heavyweight noble gas’s applications range from propelling spacecraft with ion drives to enabling medical imaging, though its scarcity and energy-intensive extraction make it one of the most expensive industrial gases at over $100 per liter.

Find out about the noble gasses as a group here [Helium (He), Neon (Ne), Argon (Ar), Krypton (Kr), Xenon (Xe), Radon (Rn), Oganesson (Og)]. Find a review of the 50 most important industrial gases here.

20 Fun Facts About Xenon

Beyond the basics above, what else should we know about Xenon? Check out the 20 fun facts below!

1. Xenon produces the whitest artificial light known, used in IMAX projectors and lighthouse lamps visible for 30 miles.
2. The gas is 4.5 times heavier than air, creating a dramatic voice-deepening effect 3 octaves lower than normal.
3. Xenon anesthesia works in 71 seconds with no side effects but costs $300 per hour versus $5 for conventional gases.
4. The element forms XeF₆ that’s so reactive it explodes on contact with water, destroying the “inert gas” myth.
5. Ion thrusters use xenon because its heavy atoms provide more momentum per ion, propelling spacecraft at 90,000 mph.
6. A cubic kilometer of air contains only 36 kilograms of xenon, requiring processing of 10 million liters for 1 liter of xenon.
7. The gas becomes metallic and turns red at 140 GPa pressure, conducting electricity like copper.
8. Xenon-133 lung scans can detect pulmonary embolisms in 3 minutes using gamma camera imaging.
9. Car HID headlights contain 0.00003 grams of xenon at 80 atmospheres, producing 3 times more light than halogens.
10. The atom is perfectly spherical with 54 electrons in filled shells, making it the most “satisfied” stable element.
11. Xenon difluoride etches silicon selectively over silicon dioxide, enabling precise semiconductor manufacturing.
12. Olympic athletes were banned from xenon inhalation in 2014 after Russians used it to boost EPO production.
13. The gas costs 1,000 times more than nitrogen due to needing -108°C distillation columns 100 meters tall.
14. Nuclear explosions produce xenon-135, the strongest neutron absorber known, which can “poison” reactor restarts.
15. Liquid xenon at -108°C is denser than aluminum, used in particle physics detectors searching for dark matter.
16. Xenon excimer lasers at 172 nm wavelength clean semiconductor wafers without heating, preventing thermal damage.
17. The gas dissolves in blood 5 times better than nitrogen, causing rapid narcosis in divers below 100 feet.
18. Mars’s atmosphere contains 0.08 ppm xenon, matching Earth’s concentration despite being 100 times thinner.
19. Xenon flashbulbs powered early high-speed photography, freezing bullets in flight with 1-microsecond pulses.
20. CT scanners use xenon gas to measure brain blood flow, as its high atomic number (54) makes it radiopaque.

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