Xenon
💡 In Your World
Xenon is a heavy and extremely rare noble gas. It's used to produce a brilliant, white light when electricity is passed through it, making it ideal for high-intensity lamps, including car headlights, cinema projectors, and photographic flashes. It's also used as a propellant in ion thrusters for spacecraft and has applications as a general anesthetic.
📖 The Discovery Story
Xenon was discovered in 1898 by Scottish chemist William Ramsay and English chemist Morris Travers, shortly after their discoveries of krypton and neon. They found it in the residue left over from evaporating liquid air. Ramsay suggested the name "xenon" from the Greek word xenos, meaning "stranger," "foreign," or "guest." In 1962, xenon became the first noble gas shown to form a true chemical compound, shattering the long-held belief that noble gases were completely inert.
📊 Properties at a Glance
| Phase at STP | Gas |
| Melting Point | -111.75 °C / -169.15 °F |
| Boiling Point | -108.0 °C / -162.4 °F |
| Electron Configuration | [Kr] 4d¹⁰5s²5p⁶ |
| Abundance in Earth's Atmosphere | 0.0000087% |
⚠️ Safety & Handling
Xenon gas is non-toxic and chemically inert. However, as it is much denser than air, it can accumulate in poorly ventilated spaces and act as an asphyxiant by displacing oxygen. Its compounds, like xenon tetrafluoride, are stable but are powerful oxidizing agents that must be handled with care.