Xenon

Excerpt

Xenon is an element with the symbol Xe and an atomic number of 54 (group 18 of the periodic table). It is an inert mono-atomic gas firstly identified in 1898 by the British chemists William Ramsay (1852-1916) and Morris Travers (1872-1961) in the residue obtained by partial evaporation of liquid air (krypton impurity). The chemical element Xe is a colorless, odorless, non-pungent, nontoxic, nonexplosive, environmentally friendly, noble gas. It is found in the earth’s atmosphere in trace amounts as the concentration in the atmosphere is only 0.086 ppm. Yet, it is also found in the gases emitted by some mineral springs. Interestingly, the gas derives its name from the Greek word for “stranger” for underlining its extreme rarity. Although there are naturally 9 isotopes, the most abundant is Xe 132.