Neon

10

fluorine ← neon → sodium


He
↑
Ne
↓
Ar




periodic table




General


Name, Symbol, Number

neon, Ne, 10


Chemical series
noble gases


Group, Period, Block

18, 2, p


Appearance
colorless 



Atomic mass
20.1797(6) g/mol


Electron configuration
1s2 2s2 2p6


Electrons per shell
2, 8


Physical properties


Phase
gas


Density
(0 °C, 101.325 kPa)
 0.9002 g/L


Melting point
24.56 K
(-248.59 °C, -415.46 °F)


Boiling point
27.07 K
(-246.08 °C, -410.94 °F)


Critical point
44.4 K, 2.76 MPa


Heat of fusion
0.335 kJ/mol


Heat of vaporization
1.71 kJ/mol


Heat capacity
(25 °C) 20.786 J/(mol·K)




Vapor pressure


P/Pa
1
10
100
1 k
10 k
100 k


at T/K
12
13
15
18
21
27



Atomic properties


Crystal structure
cubic face centered


Oxidation states
no data


Ionization energies
(more)

1st: 2080.7 kJ/mol


2nd: 3952.3 kJ/mol


3rd: 6122 kJ/mol


Atomic radius (calc.)
38 pm


Covalent radius
69 pm


Van der Waals radius
154 pm


Miscellaneous


Magnetic ordering
nonmagnetic


Thermal conductivity
(300 K) 49.1 mW/(m·K)


Speed of sound
(gas, 0 °C) 435 m/s


CAS registry number
7440-01-9


Notable isotopes




Main article: Isotopes of neon


iso

NA

half-life

DM

DE (MeV)

DP


20Ne

90.48%

Ne is stable with 10 neutrons


21Ne

0.27%

Ne is stable with 11 neutrons


22Ne

9.25%

Ne is stable with 12 neutrons


Neon (chemical symbol Ne, atomic number 10) is the fourth most abundant chemical element in the universe, but it is just a trace element in the air. As a member of the noble gas series, it is nearly inert. Under ordinary conditions, it is colorless, but in a vacuum discharge tube, it gives a reddish-orange glow. Consequently, the main use of neon is to make flashy signs for advertising. In addition, a mixture of helium and neon gases is used to make a gas laser, and liquid neon is a low-temperature refrigerant.

Contents

1 Discovery and occurrence
2 Notable characteristics

2.1 Isotopes


3 Compounds
4 Applications
5 External links
6 Credits



Discovery and occurrence
Neon (from the Greek word νέος, meaning "new") was discovered by Scottish chemist William Ramsay and English chemist Morris Travers in 1898, during their studies of liquefied air.
Neon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe.[1] In the Earth's atmosphere, however, it occurs in only trace amounts—at 1 part in 65,000. It is industrially produced by cryogenic fractional distillation of liquefied air.

Notable characteristics
Neon is part of the noble gas series in the periodic table. As such, it is an extremely unreactive element. It follows helium in group 18 (former group 8A) and is placed after fluorine in period 2. The gas is composed of single atoms and is therefore described as "monatomic."
Neon is less dense than air and is the second-lightest noble gas, after helium. Its low density suggests that it may slowly leak out of the Earth's atmosphere and escape into space, thus providing an explanation for its scarcity on Earth. By contrast, argon (another noble gas) is denser than air and remains within the Earth's atmosphere.
Neon has over 40 times the refrigerating capacity of liquid helium and three times that of liquid hydrogen (on a per unit volume basis). For most applications, it is a less expensive refrigerant than helium.
Of all the rare gases, neon has the most intense discharge at normal voltages and currents. As noted above, it glows reddish-orange in a vacuum discharge tube.

Isotopes
Neon has three stable isotopes:

20Ne (90.48%), with 10 neutrons in the nucleus of each atom;
21Ne (0.27%), with 11 neutrons in the nucleus of each atom; and
22Ne (9.25%), with 12 neutrons in the nucleus of each atom.
Compounds
Given the extreme inertness of neon, its compounds are hard to find. It does, however, appear to form an unstable hydrate. In addition, research involving specialized techniques (including mass spectrometry) has shown that neon can form various ions, either by itself or in combination with other elements. These ions include Ne+, (NeAr)+, (NeH)+, and (HeNe+).

Applications
 Neon is often used in signs
The reddish-orange color that neon emits in neon lamps is widely used for advertising signs. The word "neon" has become a generic term for these types of lights, although many other gases are used to produce different colors of light.
Neon and helium may be used together to make a type of gas laser called a helium-neon laser. In addition, liquefied neon is commercially used as a cryogenic refrigerant in applications not requiring the lower temperature range attainable with liquid helium, which is more expensive.
Neon is also used in the following devices:

vacuum tubes
high-voltage indicators
lightning arrestors
wave meter tubes
television tubes
External links
All links retrieved November 11, 2022.

WebElements.com – Neon
It's Elemental – Neon
USGS Periodic Table - Neon

Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article
in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

Neon  history
The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

History of "Neon"
Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.