Noble Gases: Elements of the Eighth Main Group

Neon signs, helium as a filling gas in balloons, xenon headlights: you are probably familiar with these terms, but what's behind them? And that's not all: radon in underground healing tunnels, light bulbs filled with argon, KrF+ and perxenates as the strongest known oxidizing agents to date? This chapter provides you with a brief but comprehensive insight into the world of noble gases. You read correctly: The representatives of this group are so named because they hardly or do not react at all with other elements or compounds. Nevertheless, they offer highly interesting insights and are indispensable in many technical applications. We span the arc from the time of their discovery about a hundred years ago to today, and the exploration of these elements is far from over.