Xenon was discovered in 1898 by British chemists Sir William Ramsay and Morris Travers at University College London. Their discovery followed their work with liquid air, after which they isolated xenon as a new, heavier noble gas.
Details of the Discovery
- Ramsay and Travers extracted neon, argon, and krypton before isolating xenon using advanced distillation techniques on liquid air.
- Upon spectroscopic examination, the newly isolated gas emitted a characteristic blue glow.
- The name "xenon" comes from the Greek word for "stranger," reflecting its rare and unique nature among noble gases.
Historical Context
- The additional discovery of xenon confirmed the pattern of rare, chemically inert gases in the atmosphere, which were later grouped as noble gases.
- Sir William Ramsay received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1904 for his discovery of noble gases, including xenon.
Xenon's identification marked a significant step in the understanding of atmospheric gases and the periodic table.
