Among all the elements of the chemical periodic table, such a group as inert gases has interesting properties. These include argon, neon, helium and some other substances. What is neon, and where in the modern world this gas is widely used?
Neon discovery story
The periodic table was not immediately filled with all the chemical elements, so gaps remained in some groups and periods. So, chemists predicted the discovery of new substances, which happened with neon. The first scientist to think about the existence of neon was the chemist Ramsay Rayleigh. At that time, the two nearest inert gases were discovered: argon and helium, but the intermediate cell in the table was empty. The scientist suggested that the new element will have an atomic mass of 20 and a hydrogen density of 10, however, what neon is in nature was not known.
How was Ramsay able to isolate neon and prove its existence? In his experiment, ordinary atmospheric air was used, which was first liquefied and then slowly evaporated. Thus obtained gaseous fractions were studied in a discharge tube, which made it possible to see the lines of the spectrum of substances. On these lines and found a new element.
In the universe, the sixth most common element is neon. The meaning of the word from Greek translates as "new." Initially, the son of Ramsay Willy proposed to name the new element novum, which also meant “new”, but his father decided to change this word a little to neon, which, in his opinion, sounded better.
Neon properties
This inert gas is in the periodic table between argon and helium, which gives it intermediate properties of these substances. Neon has two energy levels, on which 2 and 8 electrons are located. This feature directly affects the reactivity of the gas, because it does not form compounds with other elements.
What is neon in terms of chemistry? This is a light gas that liquefies at a temperature of -245.98 ° C, and the boiling bar is at around 2.6 ° C. The solubility of the gas in water is very small, but the adsorption of neon on activated carbon allows you to separate pure gas from its impurities.
What is neon in terms of physics? This is a gas that, under the influence of current, is divided into bright red and orange spectra. The light of neon, which it emits at the same time, is very stable and bright. The physics of this phenomenon is the impact of electrons on neon atoms, which forces the latter to emit light photons.
Where is neon
In the universe, neon is in 6th place in terms of prevalence after helium, hydrogen, and several other elements. This inert gas occupies relatively large volumes of stars and red planets. In the study of Pluto, it was suggested that its atmosphere consists entirely of neon, and in the lower layers this gas liquefies due to the critically low temperatures on this planet.
As for the Earth, neon is most found in the atmosphere (0.00182%) and very little in the earth's crust. It is believed that the inert gas inability to bind to other elements and form minerals was the main reason that these substances on Earth remained in small quantities.
Use of neon
Now in production demand for neon has grown very much, which means its constant shortage. This is due to the fact that the release of pure inert gas takes a lot of time, and its content in the air is very low.
Neon is used in industry as a refrigerant in cryogenic technology. At temperatures of liquid neon, rocket fuel is stored, animal and plant tissues, and chemical substances are frozen. In neon crystals, optimal conditions are created for the occurrence of very complex reactions that do not tolerate the action of heat (synthesis of H2O2, oxygen fluorides, etc.).
Some lamps and fixtures also use neon. The value of this gas as a light source is very large, because its glow is visible over long distances. Neon lamps are used for installation on a lighthouse, airfield strips, high-rise towers. Some text ads are highlighted with neon lamps.
In such lamps, neon is not in its pure form. It is always mixed in the right proportions with argon, which gives the light an orange color. However, this does not affect the good visibility properties in any way. such lamps are noticeable in all adverse weather conditions and over long distances.