xenon

American  

[zee-non, zen-on] / ˈzi nɒn, ˈzɛn ɒn /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a heavy, colorless, chemically inactive, monatomic gaseous element used for filling radio, television, and luminescent tubes. Xe; 131.30; 54.

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xenon British  

/ ˈzɛnɒn /

noun

1. a colourless odourless gaseous element occurring in trace amounts in air; formerly considered inert it is now known to form compounds and is used in radio valves, stroboscopic and bactericidal lamps, and bubble chambers. Symbol: Xe; atomic no: 54; atomic wt: 131.29; valency: 0; density: 5.887 kg/m³; melting pt: –111.76°C; boiling pt: –108.0°C

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xenon Scientific  

/ zē′nŏn′ /

1. A colorless, odorless element in the noble gas group occurring in extremely small amounts in the atmosphere. It was the first noble gas found to form compounds with other elements. Xenon is used in lamps that make intense flashes, such as strobe lights and flashbulbs for photography. Atomic number 54; atomic weight 131.29; melting point −111.9°C; boiling point −107.1°C; density (gas) 5.887 grams per liter; specific gravity (liquid) 3.52 (−109°C).

2. See Periodic Table

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Etymology

Origin of xenon

1898; < Greek xénon, neuter of xénos strange ( -on ² ); name introduced by William Ramsay, the element's discoverer

Example Sentences

Four British former special forces soldiers have set a record by climbing Mount Everest in under five days without acclimatising on the mountain, as part of a high-speed expedition controversially aided by xenon gas.

From BBC

One mile beneath a mountain in Italy, scientists at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory fill a particle detector with liquid xenon, hoping to observe evidence of dark matter.

From Salon

The undefined “glitch” led to a drop in the electrical power that strips electrons from neutral xenon gas atoms and accelerates the resulting positive ions to produce thrust far more efficiently than chemical rockets.

From Science Magazine

These results agreed well with the Duisburg-Essen group's results that used argon and xenon ions.

From Science Daily

A currently unexplained phenomenon is the loss of the unreactive gas xenon from our atmosphere more than 2.5 billion years ago.

From Science Daily