Neon (NEE-on), atomic number 10 on the Periodic Table, is a rare element that occurs naturally in extremely small amounts in the Earth’s atmosphere. It is a noble gas, which means it is highly stable and relatively nonreactive.
It is a light, colorless gas that glows reddish orange when electricity passes through it. It is used in the manufacture of a wide range of light sources, including signs and lasers.
Discovered in 1898 by Sir William Ramsay and Morris Travers, neon is a member of the noble gases family. It is the second lightest noble gas, after helium.
The name comes from the Greek word for new, neos.
Its discovery was a result of a series of experiments performed by Ramsay and Travers to find a gas that would fit directly above argon on the periodic table.
They evaporated liquid argon and isolated krypton gas, but were puzzled by the fact that both atoms emitted a brilliant red glow when they tested them in their spectrometer. It was when they repeated the experiment and slowly evaporated the argon that they discovered a gas they named neon, meaning “new” in Latin.
It is a very expensive and rare gas to produce, as it has to be extracted from liquefied air. It is a very light, very stable and very nonreactive gas. It makes up 0.0018% of the atmosphere on Earth. It has many industrial and laboratory applications, including the manufacturing of highly stable lasers.