Naturally occurring xenon (₅₄Xe) consists of seven stable isotopes and two very long-lived isotopes.

Double electron capture Double electron capture is a decay mode of an atomic nucleus. For a nuclide (''A'', ''Z'') with a number of nucleons ''A'' and atomic number ''Z'', double electron capture is only possible if the mass of the nuclide (''A'', ''Z''−2) is lower. ...

has been observed in ¹²⁴Xe (half-life ) and

double beta decay In nuclear physics, double beta decay is a type of radioactive decay in which two neutrons are simultaneously transformed into two protons, or vice versa, inside an atomic nucleus. As in single beta decay, this process allows the atom to move clos ...

in ¹³⁶Xe (half-life ), which are among the longest measured half-lives of all nuclides. The isotopes ¹²⁶Xe and ¹³⁴Xe are also predicted to undergo double beta decay, but this has never been observed in these isotopes, so they are considered to be stable. Beyond these stable forms, 32 artificial unstable isotopes and various isomers have been studied, the longest-lived of which is ¹²⁷Xe with a

half-life Half-life (symbol ) is the time required for a quantity (of substance) to reduce to half of its initial value. The term is commonly used in nuclear physics to describe how quickly unstable atoms undergo radioactive decay or how long stable ato ...

of 36.345 days. All other isotopes have half-lives less than 12 days, most less than 20 hours. The shortest-lived isotope, ¹⁰⁸Xe, has a half-life of 58 μs, and is the heaviest known nuclide with equal numbers of protons and neutrons. Of known isomers, the longest-lived is ^131mXe with a half-life of 11.934 days. ¹²⁹Xe is produced by

beta decay In nuclear physics, beta decay (β-decay) is a type of radioactive decay in which a beta particle (fast energetic electron or positron) is emitted from an atomic nucleus, transforming the original nuclide to an isobar of that nuclide. For e ...

of ¹²⁹I (

: 16 million years); ^131mXe, ¹³³Xe, ^133mXe, and ¹³⁵Xe are some of the fission products of both ²³⁵U and ²³⁹Pu, so are used as indicators of

nuclear explosion A nuclear explosion is an explosion that occurs as a result of the rapid release of energy from a high-speed nuclear reaction. The driving reaction may be nuclear fission or nuclear fusion or a multi-stage cascading combination of the two, th ...

s. The artificial isotope ¹³⁵Xe is of considerable significance in the operation of nuclear fission reactors. ¹³⁵Xe has a huge

cross section Cross section may refer to: * Cross section (geometry) ** Cross-sectional views in architecture & engineering 3D *Cross section (geology) * Cross section (electronics) * Radar cross section, measure of detectability * Cross section (physics) **Abs ...

for thermal neutrons, 2.65×10⁶

barns A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Allen G ...

, so it acts as a

neutron absorber In applications such as nuclear reactors, a neutron poison (also called a neutron absorber or a nuclear poison) is a substance with a large neutron absorption cross-section. In such applications, absorbing neutrons is normally an undesirable eff ...

or " poison" that can slow or stop the chain reaction after a period of operation. This was discovered in the earliest nuclear reactors built by the American Manhattan Project for plutonium production. Because of this effect, designers must make provisions to increase the reactor's reactivity (the number of neutrons per fission that go on to fission other atoms of nuclear fuel) over the initial value needed to start the chain reaction. For the same reason, the fission products produced in a nuclear explosion and a power plant differ significantly as a large share of will absorb neutrons in a steady state reactor, while basically none of the will have had time to decay to Xenon before the explosion of the bomb removes it from the neutron radiation. Relatively high concentrations of radioactive xenon isotopes are also found emanating from nuclear reactors due to the release of this fission gas from cracked fuel rods or fissioning of uranium in cooling water. The concentrations of these isotopes are still usually low compared to the naturally occurring radioactive noble gas ²²²Rn. Because xenon is a

tracer Tracer may refer to: Science * Flow tracer, any fluid property used to track fluid motion * Fluorescent tracer, a substance such as 2-NBDG containing a fluorophore that is used for tracking purposes * Histochemical tracer, a substance used for ...

for two parent isotopes, Xe isotope ratios in meteorites are a powerful tool for studying the

formation of the solar system The formation of the Solar System began about 4.6 billion years ago with the gravitational collapse of a small part of a giant molecular cloud. Most of the collapsing mass collected in the center, forming the Sun, while the rest flattened into a ...

. The I-Xe method of dating gives the time elapsed between nucleosynthesis and the condensation of a solid object from the solar nebula (xenon being a gas, only that part of it that formed after condensation will be present inside the object). Xenon isotopes are also a powerful tool for understanding terrestrial differentiation. Excess ¹²⁹Xe found in carbon dioxide well gases from New Mexico was believed to be from the decay of

mantle A mantle is a piece of clothing, a type of cloak. Several other meanings are derived from that. Mantle may refer to: *Mantle (clothing), a cloak-like garment worn mainly by women as fashionable outerwear **Mantle (vesture), an Eastern Orthodox ve ...

-derived gases soon after Earth's formation. It has been suggested that the isotopic composition of atmospheric xenon fluctuated prior to the GOE before stabilizing, perhaps as a result of the rise in atmospheric O₂.

List of isotopes

, - , ¹⁰⁸Xe , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 54 , , 58(+106−23) μs , α , ¹⁰⁴Te , 0+ , , , - , ¹⁰⁹Xe , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 55 , , 13(2) ms , α , ¹⁰⁵Te , , , , - , rowspan=2, ¹¹⁰Xe , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 54 , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 56 , rowspan=2, 109.94428(14) , rowspan=2, 310(190) ms
05(+35−25) ms, β⁺ , ¹¹⁰I , rowspan=2, 0+ , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , - , α , ¹⁰⁶Te , - , rowspan=2, ¹¹¹Xe , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 54 , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 57 , rowspan=2, 110.94160(33)# , rowspan=2, 740(200) ms , β⁺ (90%) , ¹¹¹I , rowspan=2, 5/2+# , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , - , α (10%) , ¹⁰⁷Te , - , rowspan=2, ¹¹²Xe , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 54 , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 58 , rowspan=2, 111.93562(11) , rowspan=2, 2.7(8) s , β⁺ (99.1%) , ¹¹²I , rowspan=2, 0+ , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , - , α (.9%) , ¹⁰⁸Te , - , rowspan=4, ¹¹³Xe , rowspan=4 style="text-align:right" , 54 , rowspan=4 style="text-align:right" , 59 , rowspan=4, 112.93334(9) , rowspan=4, 2.74(8) s , β⁺ (92.98%) , ¹¹³I , rowspan=4, (5/2+)# , rowspan=4, , rowspan=4, , - , β⁺, p (7%) , ¹¹²Te , - , α (.011%) , ¹⁰⁹Te , - , β⁺, α (.007%) , ¹⁰⁹Sb , - , ¹¹⁴Xe , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 60 , 113.927980(12) , 10.0(4) s , β⁺ , ¹¹⁴I , 0+ , , , - , rowspan=3, ¹¹⁵Xe , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 54 , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 61 , rowspan=3, 114.926294(13) , rowspan=3, 18(4) s , β⁺ (99.65%) , ¹¹⁵I , rowspan=3, (5/2+) , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3, , - , β⁺, p (.34%) , ¹¹⁴Te , - , β⁺, α (3×10⁻⁴%) , ¹¹¹Sb , - , ¹¹⁶Xe , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 62 , 115.921581(14) , 59(2) s , β⁺ , ¹¹⁶I , 0+ , , , - , rowspan=2, ¹¹⁷Xe , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 54 , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 63 , rowspan=2, 116.920359(11) , rowspan=2, 61(2) s , β⁺ (99.99%) , ¹¹⁷I , rowspan=2, 5/2(+) , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , - , β⁺, p (.0029%) , ¹¹⁶Te , - , ¹¹⁸Xe , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 64 , 117.916179(11) , 3.8(9) min , β⁺ , ¹¹⁸I , 0+ , , , - , ¹¹⁹Xe , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 65 , 118.915411(11) , 5.8(3) min , β⁺ , ¹¹⁹I , 5/2(+) , , , - , ¹²⁰Xe , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 66 , 119.911784(13) , 40(1) min , β⁺ , ¹²⁰I , 0+ , , , - , ¹²¹Xe , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 67 , 120.911462(12) , 40.1(20) min , β⁺ , ¹²¹I , (5/2+) , , , - , ¹²²Xe , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 68 , 121.908368(12) , 20.1(1) h , β⁺ , ¹²²I , 0+ , , , - , ¹²³Xe , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 69 , 122.908482(10) , 2.08(2) h , EC , ¹²³I , 1/2+ , , , - , style="text-indent:1em" , ^123mXe , colspan="3" style="text-indent:2em" , 185.18(22) keV , 5.49(26) μs , , , 7/2(−) , , , - , ¹²⁴Xe

Primordial Primordial may refer to: * Primordial era, an era after the Big Bang. See Chronology of the universe * Primordial sea (a.k.a. primordial ocean, ooze or soup). See Abiogenesis * Primordial nuclide, nuclides, a few radioactive, that formed before t ...

radionuclide A radionuclide (radioactive nuclide, radioisotope or radioactive isotope) is a nuclide that has excess nuclear energy, making it unstable. This excess energy can be used in one of three ways: emitted from the nucleus as gamma radiation; transferr ...

, style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 70 , 123.905893(2) , 1.8(0.5 (stat), 0.1 (sys)) y , Double EC , ¹²⁴Te , 0+ , 9.52(3)×10⁻⁴ , , - , ¹²⁵Xe , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 71 , 124.9063955(20) , 16.9(2) h , β⁺ , ¹²⁵I , 1/2(+) , , , - , style="text-indent:1em" , ^125m1Xe , colspan="3" style="text-indent:2em" , 252.60(14) keV , 56.9(9) s , IT , ¹²⁵Xe , 9/2(−) , , , - , style="text-indent:1em" , ^125m2Xe , colspan="3" style="text-indent:2em" , 295.86(15) keV , 0.14(3) μs , , , 7/2(+) , , , - , ¹²⁶Xe , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 72 , 125.904274(7) , colspan=3 align=center,

Observationally Stable Stable nuclides are nuclides that are not radioactive and so (unlike radionuclides) do not spontaneously undergo radioactive decay. When such nuclides are referred to in relation to specific elements, they are usually termed stable isotopes. Th ...

Suspected of undergoing β⁺β⁺ decay to ¹²⁶Te , 0+ , 8.90(2)×10⁻⁴ , , - , ¹²⁷Xe , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 73 , 126.905184(4) , 36.345(3) d , EC , ¹²⁷I , 1/2+ , , , - , style="text-indent:1em" , ^127mXe , colspan="3" style="text-indent:2em" , 297.10(8) keV , 69.2(9) s , IT , ¹²⁷Xe , 9/2− , , , - , ¹²⁸Xe , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 74 , 127.9035313(15) , colspan=3 align=center, StableTheoretically capable of

spontaneous fission Spontaneous fission (SF) is a form of radioactive decay that is found only in very heavy chemical elements. The nuclear binding energy of the elements reaches its maximum at an atomic mass number of about 56 (e.g., iron-56); spontaneous breakdow ...

, 0+ , 0.019102(8) , , - , ¹²⁹XeUsed in a method of

radiodating Radiometric dating, radioactive dating or radioisotope dating is a technique which is used to date materials such as rocks or carbon, in which trace radioactive impurities were selectively incorporated when they were formed. The method compares ...

groundwater and to infer certain events in the Solar System's history , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 75 , 128.9047794(8) , colspan=3 align=center, Stable , 1/2+ , 0.264006(82) , , - , style="text-indent:1em" , ^129mXe , colspan="3" style="text-indent:2em" , 236.14(3) keV , 8.88(2) d , IT , ¹²⁹Xe , 11/2− , , , - , ¹³⁰Xe , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 76 , 129.9035080(8) , colspan=3 align=center, Stable , 0+ , 0.040710(13) , , - , ¹³¹Xe Fission product , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 77 , 130.9050824(10) , colspan=3 align=center, Stable , 3/2+ , 0.212324(30) , , - , style="text-indent:1em" , ^131mXe , colspan="3" style="text-indent:2em" , 163.930(8) keV , 11.934(21) d , IT , ¹³¹Xe , 11/2− , , , - , ¹³²Xe , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 78 , 131.9041535(10) , colspan=3 align=center, Stable , 0+ , 0.269086(33) , , - , style="text-indent:1em" , ^132mXe , colspan="3" style="text-indent:2em" , 2752.27(17) keV , 8.39(11) ms , IT , ¹³²Xe , (10+) , , , - , ¹³³XeHas medical uses , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 79 , 132.9059107(26) , 5.2475(5) d , β⁻ , ¹³³Cs , 3/2+ , , , - , style="text-indent:1em" , ^133mXe , colspan="3" style="text-indent:2em" , 233.221(18) keV , 2.19(1) d , IT , ¹³³Xe , 11/2− , , , - , ¹³⁴Xe , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 80 , 133.9053945(9) , colspan=3 align=center, Observationally StableSuspected of undergoing β⁻β⁻ decay to ¹³⁴Ba with a half-life over 11×10¹⁵ years , 0+ , 0.104357(21) , , - , style="text-indent:1em" , ^134m1Xe , colspan="3" style="text-indent:2em" , 1965.5(5) keV , 290(17) ms , IT , ¹³⁴Xe , 7− , , , - , style="text-indent:1em" , ^134m2Xe , colspan="3" style="text-indent:2em" , 3025.2(15) keV , 5(1) μs , , , (10+) , , , - , ¹³⁵XeMost powerful known

, produced in nuclear power plants as a

decay product In nuclear physics, a decay product (also known as a daughter product, daughter isotope, radio-daughter, or daughter nuclide) is the remaining nuclide left over from radioactive decay. Radioactive decay often proceeds via a sequence of steps (de ...

of ¹³⁵I, itself a decay product of ¹³⁵Te, a fission product. Normally absorbs neutrons in the high neutron flux environments to become ''¹³⁶Xe''; see

iodine pit The iodine pit, also called the iodine hole or xenon pit, is a temporary disabling of a nuclear reactor due to buildup of short- lived nuclear poisons in the reactor core. The main isotope responsible is 135Xe, mainly produced by natural decay o ...

for more information , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 81 , 134.907227(5) , 9.14(2) h , β⁻ , ¹³⁵Cs , 3/2+ , , , - , rowspan=2 style="text-indent:1em" , ^135mXe , rowspan=2 colspan="3" style="text-indent:2em" , 526.551(13) keV , rowspan=2, 15.29(5) min , IT (99.99%) , ¹³⁵Xe , rowspan=2, 11/2− , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , - , β⁻ (.004%) , ¹³⁵Cs , - , ¹³⁶Xe

, style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 82 , 135.907219(8) , 2.165(0.016 (stat), 0.059 (sys)) y , β⁻β⁻ , ¹³⁶Ba , 0+ , 0.088573(44) , , - , style="text-indent:1em" , ^136mXe , colspan="3" style="text-indent:2em" , 1891.703(14) keV , 2.95(9) μs , , , 6+ , , , - , ¹³⁷Xe , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 83 , 136.911562(8) , 3.818(13) min , β⁻ , ¹³⁷Cs , 7/2− , , , - , ¹³⁸Xe , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 84 , 137.91395(5) , 14.08(8) min , β⁻ , ¹³⁸Cs , 0+ , , , - , ¹³⁹Xe , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 85 , 138.918793(22) , 39.68(14) s , β⁻ , ¹³⁹Cs , 3/2− , , , - , ¹⁴⁰Xe , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 86 , 139.92164(7) , 13.60(10) s , β⁻ , ¹⁴⁰Cs , 0+ , , , - , rowspan=2, ¹⁴¹Xe , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 54 , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 87 , rowspan=2, 140.92665(10) , rowspan=2, 1.73(1) s , β⁻ (99.45%) , ¹⁴¹Cs , rowspan=2, 5/2(−#) , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , - , β⁻, n (.043%) , ¹⁴⁰Cs , - , rowspan=2, ¹⁴²Xe , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 54 , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 88 , rowspan=2, 141.92971(11) , rowspan=2, 1.22(2) s , β⁻ (99.59%) , ¹⁴²Cs , rowspan=2, 0+ , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , - , β⁻, n (.41%) , ¹⁴¹Cs , - , ¹⁴³Xe , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 89 , 142.93511(21)# , 0.511(6) s , β⁻ , ¹⁴³Cs , 5/2− , , , - , rowspan=2, ¹⁴⁴Xe , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 54 , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 90 , rowspan=2, 143.93851(32)# , rowspan=2, 0.388(7) s , β⁻ , ¹⁴⁴Cs , rowspan=2, 0+ , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , - , β⁻, n , ¹⁴³Cs , - , ¹⁴⁵Xe , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 91 , 144.94407(32)# , 188(4) ms , β⁻ , ¹⁴⁵Cs , (3/2−)# , , , - , ¹⁴⁶Xe , style="text-align:right" , 54 , style="text-align:right" , 92 , 145.94775(43)# , 146(6) ms , β⁻ , ¹⁴⁶Cs , 0+ , , , - , rowspan=2, ¹⁴⁷Xe , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 54 , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 93 , rowspan=2, 146.95356(43)# , rowspan=2, 130(80) ms
.10(+10−5) s, β⁻ , ¹⁴⁷Cs , rowspan=2, 3/2−# , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , - , β⁻, n , ¹⁴⁶Cs * The isotopic composition refers to that in air.

Xenon-124

Xenon-124 is an isotope of xenon that undergoes double electron capture to

tellurium Tellurium is a chemical element with the symbol Te and atomic number 52. It is a brittle, mildly toxic, rare, silver-white metalloid. Tellurium is chemically related to selenium and sulfur, all three of which are chalcogens. It is occasionally fou ...

-124 with a very long half life of years, more than 12 orders of magnitude longer than the age of the universe (). Such decays have been observed in the XENON1T detector in 2019, and are the rarest processes ever directly observed. (Even slower decays of other nuclei have been measured, but by detecting decay products that have accumulated over billions of years rather than observing them directly.)

Xenon-133

Xenon-133 (sold as a drug under the brand name ''Xeneisol'',

ATC code The Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) Classification System is a drug classification system that classifies the active ingredients of drugs according to the organ or system on which they act and their therapeutic, pharmacological and chemical ...

) is an isotope of xenon. It is a

that is

inhaled Inhalation (or Inspiration) happens when air or other gases enter the lungs. Inhalation of air Inhalation of air, as part of the cycle of breathing, is a vital process for all human life. The process is autonomic (though there are exceptions ...

to assess pulmonary function, and to image the lungs. It is also used to image blood flow, particularly in the brain. ¹³³Xe is also an important fission product. It is discharged to the atmosphere in small quantities by some nuclear power plants.

Xenon-135

Xenon-135 is a

radioactive isotope A radionuclide (radioactive nuclide, radioisotope or radioactive isotope) is a nuclide that has excess nuclear energy, making it unstable. This excess energy can be used in one of three ways: emitted from the nucleus as gamma radiation; transferr ...

of xenon, produced as a fission product of uranium. It has a

of about 9.2 hours and is the most powerful known neutron-absorbing

nuclear poison In applications such as nuclear reactors, a neutron poison (also called a neutron absorber or a nuclear poison) is a substance with a large neutron absorption cross-section. In such applications, absorbing neutrons is normally an undesirable eff ...

(having a neutron absorption cross-section of 2 million

Chart of the Nuclides 13th Edition). The overall yield of xenon-135 from fission is 6.3%, though most of this results from the radioactive decay of fission-produced

tellurium-135 There are 39 known isotopes and 17 nuclear isomers of tellurium (52Te), with atomic masses that range from 104 to 142. These are listed in the table below. Naturally-occurring tellurium on Earth consists of eight isotopes. Two of these have been ...

and

iodine-135 There are 37 known isotopes of iodine (53I) from 108I to 144I; all undergo radioactive decay except 127I, which is stable. Iodine is thus a monoisotopic element. Its longest-lived radioactive isotope, 129I, has a half-life of 15.7 million year ...

. Xe-135 exerts a significant effect on nuclear reactor operation (

xenon pit The iodine pit, also called the iodine hole or xenon pit, is a temporary disabling of a nuclear reactor due to buildup of short-Half-life, lived nuclear poisons in the reactor core. The main isotope responsible is xenon-135, 135Xe, mainly produced ...

). It is discharged to the atmosphere in small quantities by some nuclear power plants.

Xenon-136

Xenon-136 is an isotope of xenon that undergoes

barium Barium is a chemical element with the symbol Ba and atomic number 56. It is the fifth element in group 2 and is a soft, silvery alkaline earth metal. Because of its high chemical reactivity, barium is never found in nature as a free element. The ...

-136 with a very long half life of years, more than 10 orders of magnitude longer than the age of the universe (). It is being used in the

Enriched Xenon Observatory The Enriched Xenon Observatory (EXO) is a particle physics experiment searching for neutrinoless double beta decay of xenon-136 at WIPP near Carlsbad, New Mexico, U.S. Neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) detection would prove the Majorana ...

experiment to search for

neutrinoless double beta decay The neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) is a commonly proposed and experimentally pursued theoretical radioactive decay process that would prove a Majorana nature of the neutrino particle. To this day, it has not been found. The discovery o ...

References