Landmark designation

Landmark designation and acknowledgments

The American Chemical Society designated the research of Neil Bartlett on the noble gases as an International Historic Chemical Landmark in a ceremony on May 23, 2006 at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. The text of the plaque on the campus of UBC reads in English and French:

In this building in 1962 Neil Bartlett demonstrated the first reaction of a noble gas. The noble gas family of elements - helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon - had previously been regarded as inert. By combining xenon with a platinum fluoride, Bartlett created the first noble gas compound. This reaction began the field of noble gas chemistry, which became fundamental to the scientific understanding of the chemical bond. Noble gas compounds have helped create anti-tumor agents and have been used in lasers.

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C'est en 1962, dans cet édifice, que Neil Bartlett a fait la première démonstration de la réactivité d'un gaz rare. Dans la classification périodique des éléments, les gaz rares - hélium, néon, argon, krypton, xénon et radon - étaient auparavant considérés inertes. En combinant du xénon et du fluorure de platine, Bartlett a créé le premier composé de gaz rare. Cette expérience a constitué le point tournant du domaine de la chimie consacré aux gaz rares et elle est devenue fondamentale pour la compréhension scientifique de la liaison chimique. Les composés de gaz rares ont contribué à créer des agents servant au traitement de tumeurs et ont été utilisés dans les lasers.

Acknowledgments:

Photo credits: The University of British Columbia

Written by Mark Sampson

The author is indebted to the assistance of Neil Bartlett, who shared his recollections of his work on the noble gases, and William Cullen, who along with Dr. Bartlett, read a draft version of this brochure. He would also like to thank Edel Wasserman and Paul Jones of the National Historic Chemical Landmarks Committee and Judah Ginsberg, manager of the National Historic Chemical Landmarks Program, for also reading drafts of this document. Needless to say, any remaining errors are the author's alone.

Designed by MSK Partners, Hunt Valley, Maryland

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