| Xenon, «ZEE nahn or ZEHN ahn,» is
a chemical element that makes up about 1 part in 20 million of the earth's
atmosphere. The British chemists Sir William Ramsay and Morris W. Travers
discovered xenon in 1898 (see Ramsay, Sir William).
Industry uses xenon in filling flash lamps and
other powerful lamps. Xenon is also used to make bubble chambers,
which are instruments used by physicists to study nuclear particles.
Xenon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas.
It is obtained from liquid air. It does not react readily with other
substances. Xenon is classed as a noble gas (see Noble gas). The
chemical symbol for xenon is Xe. Xenon has an atomic number of 54
and an atomic weight of 131.29. It may be condensed to a liquid that
boils at -107.1 °C and freezes at -111.9 °C. It forms compounds
with two chemical elements, fluorine and oxygen. |
