Xenon atomic properties

Chemical properties and spectroscopic data support the view that in the elements rubidium to xenon, atomic numbers 37-54, the 5s, 4d 5p levels fill up. This is best seen by reference to the modern periodic table p. (i). Note that at the end of the fifth period the n = 4 quantum level contains 18 electrons but still has a vacant set of 4/ orbitals. 

In other applications of CT, orally administered barium sulfate or a water-soluble iodinated CM is used to opacify the GI tract. Xenon, atomic number 54, exhibits similar x-ray absorption properties to those of iodine. It rapidly diffuses across the blood brain barrier after inhalation to saturate different tissues of brain as a function of its lipid solubility. In preliminary investigations (99), xenon gas inhalation prior to brain CT has provided useful information for evaluations of local cerebral blood flow and cerebral tissue abnormalities. Xenon exhibits an anesthetic effect at high concentrations but otherwise is free of physiological effects because of its nonreactive nature. 

The NMR chemical shift of I29xe adsorbed on molecular sieves reflects all the interactions between the electron cloud of the xenon atoms and their environment in the intracrystalline void volume [1]. This nucleus therefore proved to be an ideal probe for investigating various zeolitic properties such as pore dimensions [2, 3], location of the countercations [4, 5], distribution of adsorbed or occluded phases [6-8] and framework polarisability [8, 9]. 

The xenon atom can therefore be used as a delicate probe to determine the number of surrounding water molecules and their orientations. These results demonstrate the sensitivity of the easily polarizable xenon electronic structure to the electrostatic properties of its surrounding and the great potential for achieving accurate interpretations of magnetic resonance parameters from imaging experiments with hyperpolarized xenon. 

Use atomic properties to explain why xenon is more than 25 times as soluble as helium in water at 0°C. 

The most surprising anesthetic agents are the noble gases, such as xenon. Xenon is completely unreactive chemically. It has no ability whatever to form ordinary chemical compounds, involving covalent or ionic bonds. The only chemical property that it has is that of taking part in the formation of clathrate crystals. In these crystals the xenon atoms occupy chambers in a framework formed by molecules that interact with one another by the formation of hydrogen bonds. The crystal of this sort of greatest interest to us is xenon hydrate, Xe 5%HiO. The crys-... 

The physical and mechanical properties of polymeric systems are connected with their solid state morphology. NMR spectroscopy of the nuclear spins attached to a polymeric system is a very applicable means to gain insight into the microstructure as well as into the dynamics of the system. An alternative way is to make use of a probe, such as a xenon atom, which diffuses over the environment and gives information on the microscopic heterogeneity. 

Pure Elements. AH of the hehum-group elements are colorless, odorless, and tasteless gases at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure. Chemically, they are nearly inert. A few stable chemical compounds are formed by radon, xenon, and krypton, but none has been reported for neon and belium (see Helium GROUP, compounds). The hehum-group elements are monoatomic and are considered to have perfect spherical symmetry. Because of the theoretical interest generated by this atomic simplicity, the physical properties of ah. the hehum-group elements except radon have been weU studied. 

The stability of the electronic configuration is indicated by the fact that each element has the highest ionization energy in its period, though the value decreases down the group as a result of increasing size of the atoms. For the heavier elements is it actually smaller than for first-row elements such as O and F with consequences for the chemical reactivities of the noble gases which will be considered in the next section. Nuclear properties, particularly for xenon, have been exploited for nmr spectroscopy and Mdssbauer... 

The exceptions to the octet rule described in the previous section, the xenon compounds and the tri-iodide ion, are dealt with by the VSEPR and valence bond theories by assuming that the lowest energy available d orbitals participate in the bonding. This occurs for all main group compounds in which the central atom forms more than four formal covalent bonds, and is collectively known as hypervalence, resulting from the expansion of the valence shell This is referred to in later sections of the book, and the molecular orbital approach is compared with the valence bond theory to show that d orbital participation is unnecessary in some cases. It is essential to note that d orbital participation in bonding of the central atom is dependent upon the symmetry properties of individual compounds and the d orbitals. 

When rebreathing systems are used for the delivery of xenon, its concentration within the system needs to be closely monitored. Infrared gas analysers cannot detect xenon, since it is a single atom, and as it is chemically inert its physical properties must be utilised. Mass spectrometry is the most accurate method but it is expensive and it is impractical for clinical use. A calibrated katharometer combined with a galvanic oxygen sensor is a satisfactory alternative which provides a reasonably accurate measure ( 1%). 

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