Xenon (pronounced ZEN-on or ZEE-non) is a chemical element
represented by the symbol Xe. Its atomic number is 54. A colorless,
heavy, odorless noble gas, xenon occurs in the Earth's atmosphere
in trace amounts. 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.
Xenon is used in flash lamps and arc lamps, and as a general
anesthetic. The first excimer laser design used a xenon dimer
molecule (Xe2) as its lasing medium, and the earliest laser designs
used xenon flash lamps as pumps. Xenon is also being used to search
for hypothetical weakly interacting massive particles and as the
propellant for ion thrusters in spacecraft.
Xenon is the preferred fuel for ion propulsion of spacecraft
because of its low ionization potential per atomic weight, and its
ability to be stored as a liquid at near room temperature (under
high pressure) yet be easily converted back into a gas to fuel the
engine. The inert nature of xenon makes it environmentally friendly
and less corrosive to an ion engine than other fuels such as
mercury or caesium. Xenon was first used for satellite ion engines
during the 1970s. It was later employed as a propellant for
Europe's SMART-1 spacecraft and for the three ion propulsion
engines on NASA's Dawn Spacecraft.
In a gas-filled tube, xenon emits a blue or lavenderish glow
when the gas is excited by electrical discharge. Xenon emits a band
of emission lines that span the visual spectrum, but the most
intense lines occur in the region of blue light, which produces the
coloration.
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