Neon Element Properties and Information
Neon Element Properties and Information:
Neon is tenth element on the periodic table. Elements are arranged in the periodic table on the basis of the atomic number. Atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus of the atom. Neon has an atomic number of 10. It is located in the Group 18 and Period 2 of the periodic table of elements. It is denoted by Ne. The name is derived from the Greek word ‘Neos’ which means New.
Sir William Ramsay and Morris Travers isolated neon gas in 1898 by subjecting solid argon surrounded by liquid air under reduced pressure and collecting the evaporated gas.
Neon is the fifth most abundant element in the universe but it is relatively less abundant on earth amounting to about 18 ppm of air by volume.
Physical Properties:
- Neon is colourless, odourless and inert monoatomic gas.
- The atomic mass of neon is 20.179
- The melting point of neon is -248.59°C
- The boiling point of neon is -246.046°C
- The density of neon is 0.9 in S.I. units at 20°C
- Neon is second lightest noble gas.
- Neon has three stable isotopes; neon-20, neon-21 and neon-22 among which neon-20 is most abundant constituting to about 90.48% of the total Neon.
Chemical Properties:
- Neon glows in reddish-orange colour in a neon tube.
- Neon is quite inert but it can form exotic compounds with fluorine. It is not known whether such compounds exist naturally or not.
Methods of Production:
- Fractional distillation: Neon is produced worldwide by fractional distillation of air. The neon mixture obtained contains neon and helium. The helium is removed from the mixture by activated charcoal.
Relevance in Chemical and Related Industries:
- Refrigeration: Liquefied neon is commercially used as a refrigerant. Smaller quantities of neon are more expensive than helium because neon can only be obtained through fractional distillation of air.
Relevance in Other Industries:
- Neon lights: The first application of neon was for lighting purposes. Neon is put in a tube and under the influence of electric discharge the neon gives off red-orange colour. It is widely used for advertising; neon is trapped in bent tubes which represents letters which can be read. Since it gives off red colour, it is visible in broad daylight also from far away.
- Electronic industries: Neon is used in number of applications like; high voltage indicators, wave meter tubes, lighting arrestors and also television tubes.
Health Effects on Exposure:
- Inhalation: Since it is a noble gas, it acts as a simple asphyxiant. At high concentrations it causes nausea, dizziness, vomiting and also loss of consciousness. It has the potential to quickly saturate the confined areas if it is allowed to escape from containment. At excessive concentrations health effects happen which prevents self rescue due to which death may occur. If the concentration of oxygen also decreases a lot then loss of consciousness and death may occur in seconds.
- Contact: If liquid neon comes in contact with skin or eyes or any part of the body it will immediately begin to freeze it and cause frostbite.
Effects on Surroundings:
No known ecological damage can occur due to neon because it is unreactive and quickly escapes to the upper parts of atmosphere.
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