Xenon facts for kids
Xenon is a special chemical element. It is a nonmetal and has the symbol Xe. Its atomic number is 54. Xenon is one of the few elements that are a gas at normal room temperature and pressure.
Two scientists, Sir William Ramsay and M. W. Travers, found this element in 1898. They named it after the Greek word xenos. This word means 'stranger'.
Xenon has an atomic mass of about 131.294. It is the fifth noble gas in the periodic table.
What Makes Xenon Special?
Xenon belongs to a group of elements called noble gases. Noble gases are usually not very reactive. This means they do not easily combine with other elements.
However, in 1962, scientists found something surprising. Xenon can react with fluorine under special conditions. These conditions include high pressure and high temperature. It can also form some compounds with oxygen.
Xenon is not very reactive because it follows the octet rule. This rule means its outer electron shell is full. It takes a lot of energy to remove an electron from xenon.
How is Xenon Used?
Xenon gas is used in many different ways. You can find it in electron tubes. It is also used in special lamps. These include bactericidal lamps, which kill germs. Xenon is also in strobe lamps and lamps that excite ruby lasers.
Related pages
| Periodic table | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H | He | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Li | Be | B | C | N | O | F | Ne | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Na | Mg | Al | Si | P | S | Cl | Ar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| K | Ca | Sc | Ti | V | Cr | Mn | Fe | Co | Ni | Cu | Zn | Ga | Ge | As | Se | Br | Kr | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rb | Sr | Y | Zr | Nb | Mo | Tc | Ru | Rh | Pd | Ag | Cd | In | Sn | Sb | Te | I | Xe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cs | Ba | La | Ce | Pr | Nd | Pm | Sm | Eu | Gd | Tb | Dy | Ho | Er | Tm | Yb | Lu | Hf | Ta | W | Re | Os | Ir | Pt | Au | Hg | Tl | Pb | Bi | Po | At | Rn | ||||||||||
| Fr | Ra | Ac | Th | Pa | U | Np | Pu | Am | Cm | Bk | Cf | Es | Fm | Md | No | Lr | Rf | Db | Sg | Bh | Hs | Mt | Ds | Rg | Cn | Uut | Fl | Uup | Lv | Uus | Uuo | ||||||||||
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Images for kids
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An acrylic cube with liquefied xenon
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A layer of solid xenon floating on top of liquid xenon
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Xenon flash
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Xenon tetrafluoride
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Xenon short-arc lamp
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Xenon gas discharge tube
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A prototype of a xenon ion engine
See also
In Spanish: Xenón para niños
