Even in trace quantities, the radioactive gas radon is very dangerous; it is second only to cigarette smoking as a cause of lung cancer deaths in the United States. The expense and precautions necessary to study it safely have limited research into its properties. Now, Univ. of Pennsylvania chemists have for the first time measured how well radon binds to a molecule, paving the way for future research on it and other noble gasses.

The research was led by associate professor Ivan Dmochowski, along with undergraduate David Jacobson and graduate students Najat Khan and Yubin Bai of the Department of Chemistry in Penn’s School of Arts and Sciences. Because radon is so difficult to generate and handle safely, the Penn team collaborated with researchers at the NIST who have experience in that area.