We’re all familiar with neon—the glowing reddish-orange signs you see outside many businesses and stores. But did you know it’s a rare gas that can’t be found naturally in very many places on Earth? Neon is a member of the noble gases group 18 on the periodic table. It is odorless and colorless in its pure form but glows brightly when electricity is applied.
It is a noble gas because it does not react with other atoms or molecules, even at high temperatures and pressures. This is because it already has a full octet of electrons, so it doesn’t need to share. This also means it has a very low chemical reactivity and will not form compounds.
Neon is also very non-toxic and poses no known ecological risk. It can be found as a gas in the atmosphere, but is used mainly in signs because it gives off a very distinctive reddish-orange color. Other colors, like green and blue, are achieved by using other types of noble gases.
In order to make a sign glow, you need to apply an alternating current to the electrodes in the glass tube. This creates energy in the atoms and causes some of them to shed their electrons, which fly away from the negative electrode towards the positive one. The atoms then have a positive charge and are referred to as being “excited.” When the electrons return to their ground state, they release that energy in the form of light.
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