Xenon!
Xenon Xe 54
ATOMIC MASS 131.293
STATE Gas
DISCOVERY 1898 (Sir William Ramsay and Morris Travers)
Xenon is so rare that there is only one atom of this gaseous element for every 10 million atoms in the air.
A balloon filled with xenon does not float, but drops straight to the ground. This is because this gas is five times heavier than air.
Pure xenon in a glass sphere: This sample of xenon is trapped in a glass sphere. Xenon is a transparent gas but it glows with a blue light when an electric current flows through it.
Modern film projector lamp: High pressure inside this lamp makes electrified xenon glow very brightly.
Anaesthesia machine: The gas is harmless when breathed in and can be used as an anaesthetic. The xenon produced by this device makes a patient unconscious before an operation.
LIGHTING: Xenon is used in some car headlights, camera flashes, tanning beds, and neon lights with a blue glow. Car headlight: Xenon headlights glow brighter than the more common halogen headlights.
MEDICAL IMAGING: Isotopes of xenon can be used in medical imaging, usually of the heart, lungs, or brain.
SPACECRAFT: Xenon is used in ion propulsion engines which keep some satellites and spacecraft in orbit. Dawn space probe: Electrified xenon blasts from the exhaust, pushing the probe forwards. The probe is powered by a jet of electrified xenon gas created with a strong electric current.
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