Noble gas boiling points

The electron configuration is the orbital description of the locations of the electrons in an unexcited atom. Using principles of physics, chemists can predict how atoms will react based upon the electron configuration. They can predict properties such as stability, boiling point, and conductivity. Typically, only the outermost electron shells matter in chemistry, so we truncate the inner electron shell notation by replacing the long-hand orbital description with the symbol for a noble gas in brackets. This method of notation vastly simplifies the description for large molecules. 

This linear correlation of = -45.7 + 42.3P is constructed here to illustrate the method, but it has limited utility except to predict the boiling point of the next noble gas with P = 1, which is estimated here to be 257.3 K, or -15.8 °C. 

The causes of intermolecular forces among charged and polar particles are easy to understand, but it s less obvious how such forces arise among nonpolar molecules or the individual atoms of a noble gas. Benzene (C6H6), for example, has zero dipole moment and therefore experiences no dipole-dipole forces. Nevertheless, there must be some intermolecular forces present among benzene molecules because the substance is a liquid rather than a gas at room temperature, with a melting point of 5.5°C and a boiling point of 80.1°C. 

NOBLE GAS ATOMIC RADIUS (PICOMETERS) BOILING POINT... 

The closed-shell electronic structures of the noble gas atoms are extremely stable, as shown by the high ionization enthalpies, especially of the lighter members (Table 14-1). The elements are all low-boiling gases whose physical properties vary systematically with atomic number. The boiling point of helium is the lowest of any known substance. The boiling points and heats of vaporization increase monotonically with increasing atomic number. 

Fig. 1. Normal boiling points of some molecular hydrides, with noble gas elements for comparison.

The boiling points of the noble gas elements are listed below. Comment on the trend in the boiling points. Why do the boiling points vary in this manner ... 

Noble gases collected from air or water (see Section 3.6.1) may be separated from each other in the carrier gas by selective condensation on sorption media, followed by selective volatilization at temperatures near their boiling points of the separated gases (see Section 15.4.2). Radon can be sorbed from air or water and... 

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