What is Neon?

neon

Neon is a noble gas chemical element that appears in very small amounts in the Earth’s atmosphere. It was discovered by William Ramsay and Morris Travers in 1898. They were looking for an element to fill a gap in the Periodic Table, between argon and helium. They froze an argon sample, evaporated it and found that when it was passed through an electric discharge in a glass tube it glowed a beautiful red-orange color.

When an electrical voltage is applied to neon atoms, the energy removes one of the electrons in its outer shell, making them positive and attracted to negative electrodes. This creates a glow, giving neon its iconic orange-red color. The atoms in neon also are relatively neutral, meaning they won’t react with other atoms to form compounds.

It’s odorless and tasteless, and unlike some other noble gases, it can be mixed with air to make colored light in tubes for signs. Neon is used in high-voltage warning indicators and combined with helium to produce helium-neon lasers. It is also an important cryogenic refrigerant.

It has about two-thirds the density of air, which means a neon balloon would rise faster than a helium one if you blew on it. It’s nonflammable, nontoxic and noncorrosive. It’s generally considered inert and safe to breathe, though when inhaled in large quantities it can cause dizziness, confusion and loss of consciousness. [1]