The noble gases were, until relatively recently, thought to be entirely unreactive. Experiments in the early 1960s showed that Xe could, in fact, form compounds with fluorine. The formation of compounds consisting of Xe is made possible by _.
A) the stability of xenon atoms
B) the availability of xenon atoms
C) xenon's relatively low ionization energy
D) xenon's noble gas electron configuration
E) xenon's relatively low electron affinity

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Xenon's ability to form compounds with fluorine is due to its relatively low ionization energy. This means that it requires less energy to remove an electron from a xenon atom, making it more likely to form a compound with a more electronegative element such as fluorine.

The Noble Gases Were, Until Relatively Recently, Thought to Be