Radon Gases

Radon is the last member of the family of noble gases. The noble gases got their name because they are chemically inactive. They combine with other substances under extreme conditions. Their tendency to avoid contact with other elements has been viewed by chemists at the beginning as conduct "royal" or "noble." The noble gases are also called the inert gases. Radon is a radioactive element. Radon is produced when radioactive elements heavier, like uranium and thorium break. In turn, radon decomposes to form lighter elements such as lead and bismuth.

Radon is a well known air pollutant today. It is formed in rocks and soil where uranium is present. As a gas, radon tends to drift upwards in the field. If a house or building was built over soil containing uranium, radon can accumulate in the structure. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding the presence of radon in homes and offices as a serious health problem. Radioactivity was discovered in 1896 by French physicist Antoine-Henri Becquerel (1852-1908). Becquerel observed that the photographic plate was exposed, even in the dark when placed near a mineral called pitchblende. The explanation of this phenomenon was proposed two years later by a colleague of Becquerel, Polish-French chemist Marie Curie (1867-1934). Curie said that something in the pitchblende giving radiation. Radiation is similar to light a certain way. But it was also different because it could not be seen. Curie suggested the name of the radioactivity of this behavior.

During the next decade, many scientists have worked for more information on radioactive materials. Curie and her husband, Pierre Curie (1859-1906), isolated two new radioactive elements, polonium and radium. In 1900 the German physicist Friedrich Ernst Dorn (1848-1916) found a third radioactive element. Dorn found this item because of an observation made by Curie. When radium is exposed to air, the air becomes radioactive. The Curia did not study this phenomenon further. However, Dorn did. Finally, he discovered that radium produces a gas when it is defeated. The radioactive gas escapes into the air. The radioactivity in air exposed to radium is caused by the gas.

Initially, Dorn called this gas radioactive radium "emanation". The emanation term refers to something that has been released. radium emanation, then, means something emitted by radium. Dorn has also considered the name of Niton for gas. The name comes from the Latin nitens meaning "shining". Ultimately, however, scientists have decided on the modern name of radon. The name is a reminder of the source from where the gas, radium.

The correct position of radon in the periodic table has been determined by Scottish chemist Sir William Ramsay (1852-1916) who also participated in the discovery of three other noble gases: neon, krypton and xenon. In 1903, Ramsay was able to determine the atomic weight of radon. He showed he belonged in xenon in Group 18 (VIII) of the periodic table. Credit for the discovery of radon is often given to other scientists too. In 1899, Robert B. Owens said the presence of a radioactive gas that he named thoron. In 1903 the French chemist Andre Debierne Louis (1874-1949) made a similar discovery. He appointed actinon gas. Certainly, some credit for the discovery of element 86 can be shared among all these men.

Radon is a colorless, odorless gas with a boiling point of -61.8 ° C (-79.2 ° F). Its density of 9.72 grams per liter, which is about seven times denser than air. It is the densest gas known. Radon dissolved in water and becomes a clear, colorless liquid below its boiling point. At even lower temperature, radon liquid freezes. As a solid, its color changes from yellow to orange-red as the temperature is lowered further. This is a dramatic, since it also shines because of the intense radiation being.