What is Neon?

Neon is an inert, colorless gas that shines with a bright orange light when electricity is passed through it. It is a noble gas and part of the p-block of the periodic table. It has three stable isotopes and 17 radioactive ones. It is the second lightest noble gas.

In the late 19th century, British scientists William Ramsay and Morris Travers discovered that neon produces a brilliant red-orange light when subjected to electric discharge in a vacuum. French chemist Georges Claude later developed glass tubes that are used for neon signs and Christmas lights. When neon is lit, electrons in its atoms get excited and release energy in bunches called quanta. The size of these quanta determines the color that is seen by the human eye. Pure neon produces a orange-red light, but other colors can be produced by mixing different noble gases.

While neon is abundant in the cosmos—it is the fifth most common element after hydrogen, helium, oxygen, and carbon—on Earth it is rare. Its high volatility and inability to form compounds that anchor it to solids account for this rarity. Neon is produced by fractional distillation of liquefied air and it is also obtained from the solar wind through the action of photons. It does not react chemically with any known elements, but it can form ions and hydrates.