Neon
Description
An inert noble gas that was first discovered by William Ramsay and Morris Travers in 1898. Neon occurs naturally in the atmosphere at a concentration of 18.2 ppm. It has limited solubility in water and is found in seawater at a concentration of 1.5 tons per cubic mile. Neon is obtained commercially by the liquefaction, then distillation of air. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas. Neon is used in lasers and neon lights where it produces a reddish-orange glow. Vacuum electric discharge tubes used for advertisement signs are commonly, but incorrectly, called neon tubes although a variety of gases are required to produce the different colors.
Synonyms and Related Terms
Ne; néon (Fr., Port. ,Esp.); neo (It.)
Other Properties
Slightly soluble in water.
| Composition | Ne (atomic no. 10) |
|---|---|
| CAS | 7440-01-9 |
| Melting Point | -248.6 |
| Density | 0.6964 |
| Molecular Weight | atomic wt = 20.1797 |
| Boiling Point | -245.92 |
Hazards and Safety
Noncombustible. An asphyxiant gas. Liquid may cause frostbite.
LINK: International Chemical Safety Card
Additional Information
Web Elements: Website
Sources Checked for Data in Record
- Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993
- Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976
- Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997
- The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: entry 6544
- The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998
- Website address 1 Comment: Web Elements at http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/Ne/hist.html