Xenon - chemistry.

Xenon - chemistry. Xenon (Greek xenon, "stranger"), symbol Xe, colorless, odorless gaseous element with an atomic number of 54. In group 18 (or VIIIa) of the periodic table (see Periodic Law), xenon is one of the noble gases. Xenon was discovered in 1898 by the British chemists Sir William Ramsay and Morris Travers. It was formerly believed to be chemically inert, but since 1962 several compounds of xenon have been prepared. Xenon is used principally in such lighting devices as high-speed photographic tubes. Xenon is present in the atmosphere in minute amounts. The majority of the gas used commercially is produced by fractional distillation of air. Xenon melts at -111.8°C (-169.2°F) and boils at -108.1°C (-162.6°F). Its density is 5.9 g/liter at 0°C (32°F) and 1 atmosphere pressure and its atomic weight is 131.29. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.