Neon is a chemical element, with the symbol Ne and atomic number 10. It occurs naturally in extremely small amounts in the atmosphere. It is colorless and glows reddish orange when electricity passes through it.
Neon was first discovered by chemists William Ramsay and Morris Travers in 1898. It is a noble gas, similar to argon and helium, but it has about two-thirds the density of air.
In its liquid form, neon is used as a cryogenic refrigerant, which means it is able to cool objects that are at low temperatures. It has 40 times the cooling capacity of liquid helium and more than three times the cooling capacity of liquid hydrogen.
It is also a component of the chemical industry, including luminescent electric tubes and photoelectric bulbs, high-voltage indicators, wave-meter tubes, and lasers. It is also an ingredient in gaseous fillers for antifog devices and warning signals, as well as in electrical current detectors.
It is a rare element and is found only in very low concentrations in the Earth’s atmosphere and in very small amounts on other planets. It is produced by the liquefaction of air at very low temperatures, and can be used in a variety of industrial applications.