Question

William Ramsey was determined to discover new elements. In collaboration with Lord Rayleigh, and building on the work of Henry Cavendish, Ramsey isolated an unknown gas from a sample of air. Further study showed that the unknown gas was inert because it would not react with any known substances.

Following the discovery, Ramsey continued to search for inert gases. His work allowed for precise measurement and the placement of all of these gases in the same group on the Periodic Table.

Based on the information provided, what group of elements did William Ramsey discover?

Answer 1

William Ramsay, along with Lord Rayleigh, discovered the noble gases, which belong to Group 18 of the Periodic Table. These gases are characterized by their lack of reactivity due to their complete valence electron shells, making them inert. The discovery of these gases included elements such as argon, neon, krypton, xenon, and radon.