Chemical element · Atomic number 54
Xenon
Xenon in the periodic table: atomic number 54, electron configuration, atomic mass, physical data, oxidation states, media credit and visible sources.
Noble gas
gaseous
131.29 u
Documented element sampleA xenon filled gas discharge tube bent into the element symbol Xe.
Image credit: User:Pslawinski
Auto-oriented, limited to 1600 × 1200 pixels and re-encoded as WebP; the subject was not altered.
Atomic classification
Shell occupancy
Xenon in the Bohr shell model
This shows the electron distribution of the neutral atom in a simplified shell model.
- K · n=1
- 2 electrons
- L · n=2
- 8 electrons
- M · n=3
- 18 electrons
- N · n=4
- 18 electrons
- O · n=5
- 8 electrons
- Electron configuration
- [Kr]5s2 4d10 5p6
- Electrons per shell
- 2 · 8 · 18 · 18 · 8
- Group
- 18
- Period
- 5
- Block
- P
- Element category
- Noble gas
Physical and chemical properties
- Atomic mass
- 131.29 u
- Standard state
- gaseous
- Density
- 0.005887 g/cm³
- Melting point
- 161.36 K
- Boiling point
- 165.03 K
- Electronegativity
- 2.6 (Pauling)
- First ionisation energy
- 12.13 eV
- Oxidation states
- 0
- Discovery
- 1898
Safety and periodic classification
Safety
Safe handling cannot be inferred from Xenon's position in the periodic table alone. Laboratory, classroom and disposal decisions must follow the documentation for the exact material and its safety data sheet.
Position and comparison
Xenon is in period 5, group 18 and the P block. Its direct neighbours by atomic number are Iodine and Cesium. The recorded Pauling electronegativity is 2.6. Periodic trends are compared only through the separately sourced neighbouring values.
Sources and scope
PubChem attributes element data to sources including IUPAC, NIST and IAEA. Quanta stores the referenced snapshot locally and leaves unknown values unavailable.
Where Xenon sits among the 118 elements
The table compares the reported values for Xenon with every other element that carries the same value in the snapshot. A rank is not a judgement, it is orientation: it says how unusual this value is across the periodic table.
| Value | Xenon | Position in the data set |
|---|---|---|
| Melting point | 161.36 K | Rank 95 of 103 elements with a reported value. Highest: Carbon. |
| Boiling point | 165.03 K | Rank 85 of 93 elements with a reported value. Highest: Rhenium. |
| Density | 0.006 g/cm³ | Rank 87 of 96 elements with a reported value. Highest: Osmium. |
| Electronegativity (Pauling) | 2.6 | Rank 8 of 95 elements with a reported value. Highest: Fluorine. |
| Ionisation energy | 12.13 eV | Rank 10 of 102 elements with a reported value. Highest: Helium. |
All values and ranks come from the PubChem Periodic Table snapshot, retrieved on 2026-07-15. Elements without a reported value are excluded, so the population differs per row.
The neighbours of Xenon in the periodic table
- Place in the table
- Group 18, period 5, P block. Classified as noble gas, gaseous at standard conditions.
- Direct neighbours
- Atomic number 54. Preceded by Iodine, followed by Cesium.
- Same group
- Same number of outer electrons, and therefore similar reactivity to Helium, Neon, Argon, Krypton, Radon, Oganesson.
- Discovery
- Recorded in the snapshot as: 1898. Who, where and under what circumstances is not part of that record, so this page carries the sourced year and no discovery narrative.
- Oxidation states
- 0. They follow from the electron configuration [Kr]5s2 4d10 5p6 and indicate which compounds to expect.
Go from looking up chemistry to remembering it.
Turn your notes into source-backed study cards and review them at the right time.
Starter stays free · no payment details