🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <104225@netnews.upenn.edu> weemba@sagi.wistar.upenn.edu (Matthew P Wiener) writes:
>The chemical reactivity of the heavier noble (fka inert) gases is
>something that anyone could have detected for decades, but didn't
>since everyone knew it simply could not happen.

I recall Isaac Asimov mentioning in an essay (vague reference there :-).  It
might have been in his noble gases book, though) that detecting the reactivity
earlier than it really was detected wasn't feasible: it was hard to get a lot
of xenon, and fluorine is a _really_ difficult element to store and work with.
I remember being rather puzzled when I read Asimov's comments, since I knew
of no need to refute a claim I never heard, but I found out later that John
Campbell had used it as an example of how scientists are closed-minded.

Note the newsgroups line.  If you remove the Asimov and Campbell references,
please change the group line appropriately.
--
"On the first day after Christmas my truelove served to me...  Leftover Turkey!
On the second day after Christmas my truelove served to me...  Turkey Casserole
    that she made from Leftover Turkey.
[days 3-4 deleted] ...  Flaming Turkey Wings! ...
   -- Pizza Hut commercial (and M*tlu/A*gic bait)

Ken Arromdee (arromdee@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu, arromdee@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu)