I think most gases are light but Radon is really heavy. I of course know that plenty of gases are not radioactive, but could the reason that Radon is a gas be due to the radiation contributing to the kinetic energy of the volume of gas?
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1 Answer
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It is a noble gas,
The noble gases (historically also the inert gases; sometimes referred to as aerogens) make up a class of chemical elements with similar properties; under standard conditions, they are all odorless, colorless, monatomic gases with very low chemical reactivity. The six naturally occurring noble gases are helium (He), neon (Ne), argon (Ar), krypton (Kr), xenon (Xe), and the radioactive radon (Rn).
The reason is:
the properties of the noble gases can be well explained by modern theories of atomic structure: Their outer shell of valence electrons is considered to be "full", giving them little tendency to participate in chemical reactions,
Because they are not reactive, at normal temperatures and pressures they are in the gas phase. The answer to this question discusses the low temperatures and high pressures needed for the liquid and solid phase.
The radioactivity of radon does not play a role, the electron shells do.
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3$\begingroup$ The reduced tendency for chemistry explains why these elements are monatomic, but many molecules are also gases at room temperature. The real issue is forces between particles, be they atoms or molecules; the van der Waals forces in noble gases are too weak for them to have high boiling points, especially early in the group. $\endgroup$– J.G.Commented Dec 4, 2021 at 18:43
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1$\begingroup$ Ditto what J.G. said. Oxygen is highly reactive, and yet at normal temperatures and pressures, $\text{O}_2$ is a gas. $\endgroup$ Commented Dec 4, 2021 at 20:41
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$\begingroup$ imo low reactivity includes the van der Waals also . I am answering whether the radioactivity is involved. @SolomonSlow I do not know whether O2 is highly reactive with itself? $\endgroup$– anna vCommented Dec 4, 2021 at 21:10
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2$\begingroup$ All true. IMO, your last sentence could be the first because it directly answers the OP's question. The rest just expounds that answer. $\endgroup$ Commented Dec 4, 2021 at 21:12
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$\begingroup$ Does the emission of radiation have no effect on the kinetic energy of the the atoms in the gas? Perhaps another way of asking the question is, is radon warmer than ambient temperature due to its radioactivity? $\endgroup$ Commented Sep 9, 2022 at 6:39