xenon (Xe)

Term: xenon (Xe)

Literally meaning: “strange, unknown”

Origin: Anc Greek

ξένος/xenos(=sranger, foreigner, guest)

Coined/History 

It is amazing that in 42 days in 1908 English chemist Morris W. Travers (1872–1961) discovered three chemical elements neon, xenon, and krypton.  From 1895 until 1900 Travers worked with English chemist (sir) William Ramsey (1852-1916) to find the missing gases that the periodic Table indicated should exist.  They chilled a sample of atmosphere until it became liquid, then warmed the liquid and captured the gases as they boiled off. The two managed to  isolate krypton in May 1898, and them a few days later, while examining a large volume of argon, they separated a small quantity of elements which were named by Ramsey as neon and xenon.  According Travers :

“krypton yellow appeared very faint, the green almost absent. Several red lines. Three brilliant and equidistant and several blue lines were seen. Is this pure krypton, at a pressure which does not bring out the yellow and green, or a new gas? Probably the latter”.

Definition

Xenon is a chemical element with atomic number 54 and  atomic mass 131.293 which belongs to noble or inert gases.  It is colorless, heavy gas  which is used mainly for electron tubes and bactericidal lamps.