What happens to the boiling point of noble gases as you move down the group?

As you move down the group of noble gases in the periodic table, the boiling point increases. This trend can be explained by considering the atomic structure and intermolecular forces of these elements.

Noble gases, such as helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon, are characterized by their complete outer electron shells, which make them relatively inert and non-polar. As the atomic number increases down the group, the size of the atoms also increases, resulting in a larger number of electrons. With more electrons, there is a greater chance for temporary dipoles to form due to fluctuating electron distributions. These temporary dipoles lead to induced dipoles in neighboring atoms, and thus an increase in van der Waals forces, which are the intermolecular forces that influence boiling points.

The increase in the strength of these van der Waals forces requires more energy to overcome, thus raising the boiling point of the gases as you proceed down the group. This phenomenon is well-established in the study of noble gases and is consistent with trends observed in other groups of the periodic table as well.