What is Neon?
Neon in the Periodic Table
Published in
2 min readSep 5, 2022
Neon is a chemical element found in group 18 of the periodic table with the symbol Ne and atomic number 10. The colurless, odorless monoatomic neon gas is chemically inert and non-toxic.
It is a noble gas that lies after fluorine and before sodium in the periodic table.
Properties
Neon has a closed shell electronic configuration with no valence electron for participating in chemical bonding. Therefore, it is a rare gas that belongs to the noble gas family in the periodic table
- Relative atomic mass: 20.180
- State at 20°C: Gas
- Melting point: −248.59 °C
- Boiling point: −246.046 °C
- Density (g/cm3): 0.000825
- CAS number: 7440–01–9
- Chem Spider ID: 22377
Facts About Neon
- The molecules of neon consist of a single Ne atom.
- Neon is a rare gas and expensive to produce.
- It is a less expensive refrigerant than helium because the refrigerating capacity of neon is 40 times more than liquid helium and three times of liquid hydrogen.
- It does not impact our environment because it is a non-reactive gas that does not form compounds.
- The noble gas neon was discovered in 1898 by British chemists Sir William Ramsay and Morris W. Travers.
- It can be extracted from the liquid air by fractional distillation.
- It can create exotic compounds with fluorine and unstable hydrate with water molecules.
- Neon is the fifth most abundant element in the universe but is present in the Earth’s atmosphere at a concentration of 18 parts per million.
- It formed an orange-red glow when placed in an electric field.
- A neon sign which used for advertising purposes can be seen at long distances even when there is fog.
Uses of Neon
- The reddish-orange colored neon lights are used for making advertising signs that are needed to generate lights of different colors.
- It is used for making high-voltage indicators, television tubes, and meter tubes.
- Neon and helium gas are used to make lasers.
- Liquid neon is an important cryogenic refrigerant that has a high refrigerating capacity.
- Singly or mixtures of neon and other gases are used in the electronics industry for making gas-filled electron tubes.
- A mixture of helium and neon is used for respiration by marine divers in the seawater.
References
https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/10/neon
https://www.priyamstudycentre.com/2020/12/neon.html
