Noble Gases

 
 

Noble Gases

Lord Rayleigh (1842-1919) and William Ramsey (1852-1916) greatly enhanced the periodic table by  discovering the "inert gases."  In 1895 Rayleigh reported the discovery of a new gaseous element named argon. This element was chemically inert and did not fit any of the known periodic groups. Ramsey followed by discovering the remainder of the inert gases and positioning them in the periodic table. So by 1900, the periodic table was taking shape with elements were arranged by atomic weight.  For example, 16g oxygen reacts with 40g calcium, 88g strontium, or 137g barium. If oxygen used as the reference, then Ca/Sr/Ba assigned atomic weights of 40, 88, and 137 respectively.

Rayleigh (physics) and Ramsey (chemistry) were awarded Nobel prizes in 1904.  The first inert gas compound was made in 1962 (xenon tetrafluoride) and numerous compounds have followed (see xenon compounds)--today the group is more appropriately called the noble gases.
 

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