The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
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Xenon is the fifth element in Group 18 of the periodic table, a group of elements known as the noble gases or inert gases. Xenon has an atomic number of 54, an atomic mass of 131.29, and a chemical symbol of Xe.
Xenon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas with a boiling point of -162.6°F (-108.13°C), a melting point of -169.2°F (-111.8°C), and a density of 5.8971 grams per liter. It is almost entirely chemically inert. A small number of compounds have been made under research conditions, but no such compounds exist in the natural world.
Xenon does not exist to any measurable extent in the Earth's crust, although it does occur to the extent of about 0.1 part per million in the Earth's atmosphere. The element has also been discovered in the atmosphere of Mars with about the same concentration. When needed, xenon can be produced by the fractional distillation of liquid air.
Xenon was discovered in 1898 by the Scottish chemist and physicist Sir William Ramsay and the English chemist Morris William Travers (1872-1961). Ramsay and Travers found the new element by spectroscopic analysis of the residue left after nitrogen, oxygen, and argon had been removed from liquid air. They suggested the name xenon after the Greek word for "stranger."
The primary use of xenon is in fluorescent and "neon" lamps. The presence of xenon in such lamps results in a very bright, sun-like light used in photographic flash units, strobe lights, and airport runway lights.