Xenon



Xenon is a chemical element with the symbol Xe and atomic number 54. The element name is pronounced / ˈ z ɛ n ɒ n /  zen -on or <span class="IPA" style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', 'Lucida Sans Unicode'; " title="Representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)">/ <span class="IPA" style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', 'Lucida Sans Unicode'; "><span style="border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-color: initial; " title="primary stress follows">ˈ <span class="IPA" style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', 'Lucida Sans Unicode'; "><span style="border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-color: initial; " title="'z' in 'Zion'">z <span class="IPA" style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', 'Lucida Sans Unicode'; "><span style="border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-color: initial; " title="long 'e' in 'bead'">iː <span class="IPA" style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', 'Lucida Sans Unicode'; "><span style="border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-color: initial; " title="'n' in 'nigh'">n <span class="IPA" style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', 'Lucida Sans Unicode'; "><span style="border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-color: initial; " title="short 'o' in 'body'">ɒ <span class="IPA" style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', 'Lucida Sans Unicode'; "><span style="border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-color: initial; " title="'n' in 'nigh'">n <span class="IPA" style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', 'Lucida Sans Unicode'; " title="Representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)">/  <span class="IPA" style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', 'Lucida Sans Unicode'; " title="English pronunciation respelling"> zee -non. A colorless, heavy, odorless noble gas, xenon occurs in the Earth's atmosphere in trace amounts.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5" style="line-height: 1em; ">[6] Although generally unreactive, xenon can undergo a few chemical reactions such as the formation of xenon hexafluoroplatinate, the first noble gas compound to be synthesized.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-lanl_6-0" style="line-height: 1em; ">[7] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7" style="line-height: 1em; ">[8] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-beautiful_8-0" style="line-height: 1em; ">[9]

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; line-height: 19px; font-family: sans-serif; ">Naturally occurring xenon consists of nine stable isotopes. There are also over 40 unstable isotopes that undergo radioactive decay. The isotope ratios of xenon are an important tool for studying the early history of the Solar System.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-kaneoka_9-0" style="line-height: 1em; ">[10] Radioactivexenon-135 is produced from iodine-135 as a result of nuclear fission, and it acts as the most significant neutron absorber innuclear reactors.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-stacey_10-0" style="line-height: 1em; ">[11]

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; line-height: 19px; font-family: sans-serif; ">Xenon is used in flash lamps<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-burke_11-0" style="line-height: 1em; ">[12] and arc lamps,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-mellor_12-0" style="line-height: 1em; ">[13] and as a general anesthetic.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Sanders_13-0" style="line-height: 1em; ">[14] The first excimer laser design used a xenon dimer molecule (Xe<sub style="line-height: 1em; ">2 ) as its lasing medium,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-basov_14-0" style="line-height: 1em; ">[15] and the earliest laser designs used xenon flash lamps as pumps.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-toyserkani_15-0" style="line-height: 1em; ">[16] Xenon is also being used to search for hypothetical weakly interacting massive particles<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ball_16-0" style="line-height: 1em; ">[17] and as the propellant for ion thrusters in spacecraft.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-saccoccia_17-0" style="line-height: 1em; ">[18]