Xenon

Xenon (Xe) is a chemical element that belongs to Group 18 (noble gases) of the periodic chart. It is a heavy and highly rare gas. It was the first noble gas to be discovered capable of forming chemical compounds. Xenon is a colourless, odourless, and tasteless gas that is more than 4.5 times heavier than air. Solid xenon is a member of the face-centred cubic crystal system, which means that its molecules, which are made up of single atoms, act like spheres packed as tightly as possible. The word xenon comes from the Greek word xenos, which means “abnormal” or “foreign.”

Properties of Xenon:

Xenon is found in trace amounts in Earth’s gases, with a concentration of about 0.0000086 percent, or about 1 part in 10 million by volume of dry air. Xenon, like several other noble gases, is found in meteorites. On a modest scale, xenon is produced via fractional distillation of liquid air. It is the least volatile of the noble gases that can be obtained from the air (boiling point: 108.0 °C [162.4 °F]). Applications of Xenon:

Stroboscopes and lights for high-speed photography use the element xenon, which is used in lamps that create incredibly quick and strong bursts of light. A flash of bluish-white light is emitted when a charge of electricity is passed through the gas at low pressure; at higher pressures, white light resembling daylight is emitted. Ruby lasers are activated using xenon flashlamps.

Isotopes of Xenon:

Natural xenon is made up of nine stable isotopes in the following proportions: xenon-124 (0.096), xenon-126 (0.090), xenon-128 (1.92), xenon-129 (26.44), xenon-130 (4.08), xenon-131 (21.18), xenon-132 (26.89), xenon-134 (10.44), xenon-136 (10.44 (8.87). The known isotopes of xenon have mass values ranging from 118 to 144. Some stony meteorites include a high amount of xenon-129, which is thought to be a result of radioactive decay of iodine-129, which has a half-life of 17,000,000 years. Measuring the amount of xenon-129 in meteorites sheds light on the solar system’s history.

There are more than a dozen radioactive xenon isotopes known as a result of uranium fission and other nuclear processes. For example, uranium fission produces xenon-135 (9.2-hour half-life), which is problematic in nuclear reactors because it absorbs fission-producing neutrons. Xenon-129 is particularly important since it can be detected via nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, making it valuable for determining the structural properties of xenon compounds. The most abundant xenon isotopes produced by nuclear fission are stable xenon-131, -132, -134, and -136, as well as radioactive xenon-133 with a half-life of 5.27 days.

Xenon compounds:

Until 1962, when British chemist Neil Bartlett created the first noble-gas compound, a yellow-orange solid that may be best described as a combination of [XeF+] [PtF6], [XeF+] [Pt2F11], and PtF5, noble gases were assumed to be chemically inert. In the compounds it creates, xenon has the most diverse chemistry in Group 18, with oxidation states of +1/2, +2, +4, +6, and +8. Since the discovery of noble-gas reactivity, xenon compounds have been produced and structurally described, including halides, oxides, oxyfluorides, oxo salts, and several covalent derivatives with a number of molecules covalently bound to other polyatomic ligands. As one might expect given xenon’s location in the periodic table, xenon compounds are fewer effective oxidizers than krypton compounds. As a result, much of what we know about xenon chemistry involves its fluorides and oxyfluorides reacting with strong Lewis acid acceptors and fluoride-ion donors to generate a range of fluoro- and oxofluorocations and anions. There are currently examples of xenon covalently linked to fluorine, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon.

Xenon trioxide

In its +6 oxidation state, xenon trioxide is an unstable xenon chemical. It’s a strong oxidizer that slowly releases oxygen from water, which is increased by exposure to sunlight. When it comes into contact with organic materials, it becomes dangerously explosive. It releases xenon and oxygen gas when it detonates. Xenon trioxide is a powerful oxidizer that can oxidise almost any chemical that can be oxidised. It is, however, slow-acting, which limits its utility.

By evaporating xenon hexafluoride or xenon tetrafluoride, a solution is formed from which colourless XeO3 crystals can be obtained. In dry air, the crystals stay stable for days, but in humid air, they quickly absorb water and produce a concentrated solution.

Conclusion:

Xenon is a rare gas that is colourless, odourless, tasteless, and chemically inert. Xenon is a trace gas, meaning it makes up less than 1% of the Earth’s atmosphere by volume. It can be discovered in the gases emitted by a few mineral springs. When air is separated into Nitrogen and Oxygen, it is also emitted as a by-product. The nucleus of the element has 54 protons, giving it the atomic number 54. It comes in a variety of forms, including solids, liquids, and gases.