2 October: Xenon

Born this date in 1852 was Sir William Ramsay, chemist who discovered xenon. Here are ten things you might not know about xenon:

1. Xenon is a noble gas with the symbol Xe and atomic number 54.

2. It’s colourless, odourless, and tasteless.

3. William Ramsay was working with another chemist, Morris Travers. It was 1898 and a wealthy industrialist called Ludwig Mond had given them a new liquid-air machine, which was intended to help extract Krypton from liquid air. When they’d got the krypton, the two chemists noticed there was a heavier gas there as well, which emitted a beautiful Blue glow in a vacuum tube.

4. Ramsay suggested the name xenon from the Greek word meaning foreigner or stranger.

5. For a long time, scientists didn’t think noble gases ever formed compounds with other elements. Xenon was the first noble gas found to do so, in 1962. While teaching at the University of British Columbia, Neil Bartlett produced the first known compound of a noble gas, xenon hexafluoroplatinate. By 1971, more than 80 xenon compounds had been found.

6. It is only found in trace amounts in the Earth’s atmosphere. Other noble gases are more abundant and scientists have wondered why it’s so rare. There is a theory now that the missing xenon may actually be in the Earth’s core.

7. Some mineral springs emit xenon.

8. Some vehicle headlights use xenon. If you see headlights that give off a soft blue glow, they are probably made with xenon.

9. Xenon has been used as a general anaesthetic, but it is more expensive than conventional anaesthetics.

10. Liquid xenon is an excellent solvent. It can dissolve hydrocarbons, biological molecules, and even Water.

Character birthday

Slime Girl, aka Myra O’Donnell. She is a genetic variant whose skin exudes a toxic slime. She was taken in by Ultra Grav and the G Men and lives in the Darrowburn Mansion. Power neutralisers didn’t work because the slime would quickly dissolve them. The only substance found which wasn’t dissolved by the slime was a type of rubber. Myra must wear a body suit made from this rubber which collects the slime in a container which she needs to empty several times a day. In a combat situation, she can direct a jet of the slime at an attacker.

Fire in her Blood

A Superhero love story.

Sent away to school to get her away from undesirable company, Agnes finds herself homesick and lonely. A brief connection with Jason Warner leads to the teenage crush to end all teenage crushes. Jason is barely aware Agnes exists, but she plans her whole future around him.

It is only when they meet again as adults that the connection becomes mutual; but before it can develop, Jason makes a discovery which rocks his entire world. He needs time alone, away from everyone, including Agnes. When Jason is finally ready to go back to his old life, Agnes has moved on and he cannot find her.

Agnes is now a single parent to the remarkable Seraphina. The Power League want to harness Seraphina's powers for evil before the Freedom League become aware of her. Agnes has no idea her new colleague and friend is a supervillain with his own agenda, and his willingness to babysit is not as innocent as she thinks. As Incendio starts teaching Seraphina to use her powers, the Freedom League intervene. Little do they know that they have found one of their own.

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