Xenon

Julian Sison Period 4 12/1/09

Xenon From the Greek word “xenon”, meaning stranger Address: 5 Noble Gas Road, Period 5 Phone Number (Electron Configuration): [Kr]5S2 4D10 5P6 Atomic Number: 54 Atomic Mass: 131.29 Abundance: Xenon-124 (0.096); Xenon-126 (0.090); Xenon-128 (1.92); Xenon-129 (26.44); Xenon-130 (4.08); Xenon-131 (21.18); Xenon-132 (26.89) ; Xenon-134 (10.44); and Xenon-136 (8.87).

Objective As placed, above, my name is xenon and I am making the humble request for you to interview me. I wish to work under your supervision as an anesthetic. I understand that you are specialized in the field of dentistry and I wish to provide you support, as being used as an anesthetic to the patient would put them to sleep, reduce pain, and simplify these procedures for you. I understand that you are very occupied and my work as an anesthetic would greatly reduce the amount of time spent on each procedure, making appointments more convenient for you and your patient. Prior to my venturing in the medical field, I worked as a recreational tool, a strobe light, creating various light patterns to provide children with enjoyment, and as flashing lights and high intensity lamps, and I therefore am used to the working life. I have decided, after working in the field of lighting, to work in the field of medicine, and after much experience with children, I have decided that working under a dentist such as yourself would help me provide good health to them.

History: In 1898, I was discovered by Sir William Ramsey and M. W. Travers. These two men would later discover other noble gases, and, while testing an impure sample of krypton, were able to obtain xenon through fractional distillation. This process separates substances into a mixture by changing their physical state. This process changed me into a liquid, preparing me for other uses. In 1962, a Canadian chemist named Neil Bartlett discovered the compound xenon hexafluoroplatinate (XePtF6) through the use of a spectroscope, and afterward, many xenon compounds have been discovered. This find proved that noble gases were able to form compounds.

Honors and Awards I am a heavy, odorless, and tasteless gas obtained from liquefied air. I am also known for my previous use to search for hypothetical weakly interacting massive particles. I, like the other noble gases, am used in photography and lighting. I am a rare and valuable element for humans; I am honored for my rarity (I am located in trace elements in the atmosphere) and have been priced around $120 for one hundred grams. According to workers at NASA, I cost about as much to launch into space as I am worth. Relating to that last statement, I am also known for my previous use as a propellant for ion thrusters in spacecraft, and also as a general bactericide. I have been awarded for my work with NASA and photography, and I received global recognition for my value and versatility.

Experience and Skills Due to my many skills and prior job holdings, I feel fully capable of providing you with an anesthetic for your patients. I feel that this responsibility, though a large undertaking, would be a fitting one as well. As a noble gas, I am stable and am able to withstand the pressures that the other elements and periodic trends may have on me. I am willing to hold on to what is important (my electrons) and understand what is important in my life, as radioactive isotopes of xenon tend to have relatively short half-lives. Being a noble gas, I have a higher ionization energy than most elements, providing me with the ability to handle difficult tasks in life and therefore making me the logical choice for this job, and zero electron affinity (less desire for electrons) means for less distractions in the workplace. I am well-rounded in the aspect that I can provide many uses, besides the skills in lighting that are attributed to the noble gases. My prior experiences in rocket fueling, strobe lighting, bactericides, and photography display my ability to handle being used as an anesthetic.

References As a noble gas, I do not form as many bonds with other elements, but there are cases in which I do decide to. I am used to forming bonds with fluorine, an element that, because of its need of one electron to reach the noble gas configuration, has a high electron affinity and therefore readily forms covalent bonds with elements in order to share electrons. Some bonds I form with fluorine are Xenon difluoride (XeF2), Xenon tetrafluoride (XeF4), and Xenon hexafluoride (XeF6). These three compounds are white and mostly crystalline. One other element in particular that I tend to form compounds with is oxygen, and two common compounds formed are Xenon trioxide (XeO3) and Xenon tetroxide (XeO4). Although all these previously stated bonds were covalent, I kept up negative relationships with these two friends of mine. Although alone I may be a calm and unreactive element, all my compounds are toxic, especially the two oxides stated above, which are dangerously explosive. I am also prone to forming bonds with the alkali metals, who, being all the way on the left of the periodic table with one valence electron, were the most reactive and were quick to change their attitudes and form bonds with other elements to become more stable. The alkali metals are the most cooperative of all elements, because they have a constantly changing personality depending on the situation.


 * Works Cited**

Bigelow, Shanita. “Compounds.” Cary Academy.org. N.p., Apr. 2002. Web. 29 Nov. 2009. . Hopley, Lara, and Jo Van Schalkwyk. “Xenon.” The WorldWide Anaesthetist. N.p., 1 May 2007. Web. 29 Nov. 2009. . Probert, Matt, and Leela Probert. “Xenon.” The Probert Encyclopaedia. N.p., 2009. Web. 29 Nov. 2009. . Sorensen, Kirk. “Nuclear Composting.” Blogspot. N.p., 8 Nov. 2009. Web. 29 Nov. 2009. .