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Xenon

Xenon is a chemical element with atomic number 54 and the symbol Xe. Xenon is one of the so-called noble gases, or inert gases, and is found in the form of a colorless, very heavy, odorless gas. It is found in the earth's atmosphere in trace amounts.

Xenon placed in a tube and excited by an electrical discharge emits a blue glow; placed under immense pressure, it will form a metal. And if atoms of xenon are trapped in water molecule lattices, it will form clathrates.

The most common use of xenon is in xenon flash lamps, which are used for photographic flashes, stroboscopic lamps, certain types of lasers, some bactericidal lamps, and some dermatological purposes. Because their color temperature is close to that of noon sunlight, xenon arc lamps are sometimes used in solar simulators. They also provide short wavelength ultraviolet light and can have intense emissions in near infrared, making them useful for nigh vision systems.

Xenon has also been used as a general anesthetic, as a heavy gas in bubble chambers for nuclear energy applications, for radioisotopic studies, MRIs, ion propulsion, protein crystallography, and car headlights.

Web Resources On Xenon

Web Elements Periodic Table
Appearance & Characteristics of Xenon

Book Resources On Xenon

Parametric investigation of the radiative emmission from a short-arc in xenon by Raymond F. Askew
Microanalysis of extended-test xenon hollow cathodes by Timothy R. Verhey

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