Xenon | Chemistry | University of Waterloo

W.C. Mepham High School, Belmore, New York, U.S.A.

Xenon, 54, WC Mepham High School, New York, U.S.A.

Xenon: Xenon was discovered on July 12, 1898 by William Ramsay and Morris Travers. Xenon is used as an anesthetic, for ion thrusters in spaceships as a propellant and for photographic flashes. It is a trace gas and rare in Earth's atmosphere. If the concentration is too high, xenon can be toxic and potentially fatal. I thought the most interesting fact about xenon is that it is produced during supernova explosions. I drew a picture of a supernova with photoshop. The colors are blue and lavender because xenon is known for its azure glow. The letters and numbers are supposed to look like a gas-filled tube of glowing xenon.

Original artwork by Bonnie Kaprat, Teacher: Josephine Parlagreco, W.C. Mepham High School, Bellmore, New York, U.S.A.

Atomic properties*

Name:

Xenon

Symbol:

Xe

Atomic number:

54

Atomic mass:

131.3 amu

Melting point:

-111.74°C

Boiling point:

-108.09°C

Density:

0.005887 g/cm³

Electronegativity:

2.6

# of Isotopes:

9

State:

Gas

Colour:

Colourless±

Classification:

Non-metallic±

* Haynes, W. M. (2011). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 91st edition: http://www.hbcponline.com/ Retrieved April 7, 2011

± Winter, M. (2010). Home of the Periodic Table. Retrieved April 8, 2011, from Web Elements: http://www.webelements.com/