Neon
Neon, or Ne, is a colorless, odorless, gaseous element, lighter than air. Neon
is a noble gas, #10 in the Periodic Table, located in group 18 and period 2,
at the far right of the periodic table.
Neon, derived from the Greek word neos, meaning new, was discovered in 1898
by the British chemists Sir William Ramsey and Morris W. Travers when they were
the first to separate it from other inert gases. Neon gas occurs in very tiny
portions of the earth's atmosphere (18 parts per 1 million of the gaseous portion
of the earth's atmosphere), as well as trapped within the rocks of the earth's
crust. It occurs in 3 stable isotopic forms, it's most abundant form being Neon-20,
the other two being Neon-21 and Neon-22. Neon is an inert gas that glows orange-red
when exposed to an electrical discharge field, which provides for the majority
of its usage. The light produced by Neon is highly efficient, due to its light
production vs. current consumption ratio. Neon can also be combined with other
noble gases to form different colors. As a noble gas itself, Neon is normally
found in nature in an uncombined single-gas state.
Neon's chemical properties are as follows: Its atomic mass is 20.1797. Its electronic
configuration is 1s2, 2s2, p6. It has a melting point of -248.6 degrees Celsius,
and a boiling point of -246.1 degrees Celsius. Its density is .8999 grams per
liter.
Neon is used in several different situations, such as using liquid neon for
refrigeration purposes. However, by far, Neon is most widely used in advertising
signs and billboards, to produce an eye catching, bright, and highly effective
sign.