Effects With Different Gases
Different gases will have different mean free paths for molecules and electrons. This is because different molecules have different diameters. Noble gases like helium and argon are monoatomic and tend to have smaller diameters. This gives them a greater mean free path length.
Ionization potentials differ between molecules as well as the speed that they recapture electrons after they have been knocked out of orbit. All three effects change the number of collisions needed to cause an exponential growth in free electrons. These free electrons are necessary to cause an arc.
Read more about this topic: Paschen's Law
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