Xenon

Xe  Xenon

Xenon in the periodic table

Xenon was discovered when Scottish chemist Sir William Ramsay and Engish chemist Morris M.

Travers were experimenting with the recently discovered element, Krypton on July 12, 1898.

During their study, Ramsay and Travers distilled the Krypton and isolated the excess gas

(Xenon). They later noticed that the other gas emitted an alluring blue glow while in the vacuum

tube that it was stored in. They called the mysterious gas Xenon, derived from the Greek root

"Xenos" which means stranger.

Today, it is much easier to extract Xenon from the air because we have more advanced technology. Once extracted, Xenon emits a visible blue / lavender glow. However, in its natural

gaseous state Xenon is colorless. Xenon makes up only 0.0000087% of the Earth's atmosphere but it does have many other uses. It is most frequently used in photography and video capturing.

Xenon is a part of photographic flashes, arc lamps that are used for motion picture projection,

and arc lamps used to produce ultraviolet light. Xenon lighting is greatly beneficial due to its

stability, brightness, and economic friendliness. It is also used as a propellant by iron thrusters in space travel because it is inert and at less of a risk to explode. Xenon also has a lot of influence

in the medical world. Xenon is a part of radiation detection (neutron and X-ray counters), medical

imaging, general anesthetic and so much more. 

Xenon is found as an element but frequently used to make compounds. Despite being a non-toxic

gas and having the second most isotopes, which makes it very stable. Many of its compounds are toxic and highly explosive, due to unstable properties. the most common compounds of

Xenon is made with fluorine and oxygen. Such as Xenon trioxide, Xenon Hexafluoride, and

Xenon Tetrafluoride among others. Many of the compounds are toxic due to their prominent

oxidizing properties.

Xenon's atomic structure

Xenon's Electron configuration is [Kr]5s24d105p6

Xenon is a part of the group called the noble gases due to it’s filled valence shell, odorless quality,
and it’s chemical stability. It is in group 18, period 5. Xenon is believed to be inert along with
all of the other group 18 elements (the noble gases)  Xenon is the first Noble gas to be made into
a compound. This was completed by Neil Bartlett who combined Platinum, Xenon, and Fluronine. This compound is
Xenon hexafluoroplatinate or Xe+[PtF6] − .

All of the noble gases glow except Radon and Oganesson