When we think of neon signs, we picture a long glass tube that is sealed, with an electrode at one end and a power source (like a battery or a plug) at the other. When the electricity runs through it, the gas atoms inside glow in their unique color, like reddish-orange or green. The glow is the result of ionisation, which occurs when electric current passes through the gas. Once the current stops, the atoms recapture their electrons and become neutral again.
Neon is one of the six noble gases, a group of odorless, colorless, single-atom gases that are very nonreactive. They are helium (He), neon (Ne), argon (Ar), krypton (Kr) and xenon (Xe).
While rare, neon isn’t completely absent from Earth’s atmosphere, making up about 0.00182% of it. It is found in large mass stars, where it forms when carbon atoms are fused together under high pressure. It can also be extracted from air through a process called fractional distillation, where samples of liquefied air are processed to force the different components to separate out.
When ionised, neon produces a dazzling reddish-orange light that is easily visible through fog and clouds. It is used for a variety of purposes, from high-voltage warning indicators to Geiger counters and television tubes. It is most famous for the brightly lit advertising signs that were invented by Georges Claude in 1910.