Facts about Xenon
Xenon and the other noble gases had long been considered completely chemically inert and unable to form compounds.
Given that xenon is a tracer for two parent isotopes, xenon isotope ratios in meteorites are a powerful tool for studying the formation of the Solar System.
Xenon (chemical symbol Xe, atomic number 54) is a colorless, odorless, heavy noble gas that occurs in the Earth's atmosphere in trace amounts.
Xenon is nontoxic, but many of its compounds are toxic on account of their strong oxidative properties.
Xenon is a member of the noble gas series in the periodic table.
Xenon gas can be safely stored in normal sealed glass containers at standard temperature and pressure.
In 1962, however, at the University of British Columbia, the first xenon compound—xenon hexafluoroplatinate—was synthesized successfully.
Xenon flash lamps are widely used in flash photography, and xenon arc lamps are used in solar simulators and automotive high-intensity discharge (HID) headlights.
Like helium, xenon does not satisfy the body's need for oxygen and is a simple asphyxiant.
Xenon can also form "clathrates" (cage-like molecules) with water, when xenon atoms are trapped in a lattice of water molecules.
at the University of Helsinki in Finland made xenon dihydride (HXeH), xenon hydride-hydroxide (HXeOH), and hydroxenoacetylene (HXeCCH).
Xenon is rarely used in large enough quantities for this to be a concern, but the potential for danger exists any time a tank or container of xenon is kept in an unventilated space.
Xenon (from the Greek word ?????, meaning "strange") was discovered in England by William Ramsay and Morris Travers on July 12, 1898, shortly after they had discovered the elements krypton and neon.
Xenon is a trace gas in the Earth's atmosphere, occurring in one part in twenty million.
Xenon isotopes are also a powerful tool for understanding the formation of the Earth.
Relatively high concentrations of radioactive xenon isotopes have been found to emanate from nuclear reactors, because this fission gas is released from cracked fuel rods or fissioning of uranium in cooling water.
Naturally occurring xenon is made of seven stable and two slightly radioactive isotopes.
Nonetheless, the term "inert" is not an entirely accurate description of this group of elements, because some of them—including xenon—have been shown to form compounds (see Compounds below).
Using tens of gigapascals of pressure, xenon has been forced into a metallic phase.