54 Xe Xenon 131.3 |
Xenon was discovered in 1898 by William Ramsay and Morris Travers in the residue from the distillation of air. The name Xenon comes from the Greek word "xenon" which means stranger.
Xenon is present in Earth's atmosphere in one part per twenty million. Xenon has nine stable isotopes naturally. It has a melting point of -111.9 Degrees Celsius (161.1 Kelvin) and a boiling point of -107.1 Degrees Celsius (165.9 Kelvin). Xenon was also the first noble gas found to form compounds, such as fluorides and oxides. When excited by electricity, Xenon gives off a blue glow. In the laboratory, Xenon is a solid under 3.27*105 atm and 32 K. Xenon is used in electron tubes, high-intensity light sources, and bactericidal lamps.
--Juliet E
Sources: Kerr