Neon

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For other uses, see Neon (disambiguation).
10 fluorineneonsodium
He

Ne

Ar
Ne-TableImage.png
periodic table
General
Name, Symbol, Number neon, Ne, 10
Chemical series noble gases
Group, Period, Block 18, 2, p
Appearance colorless
Ne,10.jpg
Atomic mass 20.1797(6) g/mol
Electron configuration 1s2 2s2 2p6
Electrons per shell 2, 8
Physical properties
Phase gas
Density (0 °C, 101.325 kPa)
0.9002 g/L
Melting point 24.56 K
(-248.59 °C, -415.46 °F)
Boiling point 27.07 K
(-246.08 °C, -410.94 °F)
Critical point 44.4 K, 2.76 MPa
Heat of fusion 0.335 kJ/mol
Heat of vaporization 1.71 kJ/mol
Heat capacity (25 °C) 20.786 J/(mol·K)
Vapor pressure
P/Pa 1 10 100 1 k 10 k 100 k
at T/K 12 13 15 18 21 27
Atomic properties
Crystal structure cubic face centered
Oxidation states no data
Ionization energies
(more)
1st: 2080.7 kJ/mol
2nd: 3952.3 kJ/mol
3rd: 6122 kJ/mol
Atomic radius (calc.) 38 pm
Covalent radius 69 pm
Van der Waals radius 154 pm
Miscellaneous
Magnetic ordering nonmagnetic
Thermal conductivity (300 K) 49.1 mW/(m·K)
Speed of sound (gas, 0 °C) 435 m/s
CAS registry number 7440-01-9
Notable isotopes
Main article: Isotopes of neon
iso NA half-life DM DE (MeV) DP
20Ne 90.48% Ne is stable with 10 neutrons
21Ne 0.27% Ne is stable with 11 neutrons
22Ne 9.25% Ne is stable with 12 neutrons

Neon is the chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Ne and atomic number 10. A colorless, nearly inert noble gas, neon gives a distinct reddish glow when used in vacuum discharge tubes and neon lamps and is found in air in trace amounts.

Notable characteristics

Neon is the second-lightest noble gas, glows reddish-orange in a vacuum discharge tube and has over 40 times the refrigerating capacity of liquid helium and three times that of liquid hydrogen (on a per unit volume basis). In most applications it is a less expensive refrigerant than helium. Neon has the most intense discharge at normal voltages and currents of all the rare gases.

Applications

Neon is often used in signs

The reddish-orange color that neon emits in neon lights is widely used to make advertising signs. The word "neon" is also used generically for these types of lights even though many other gases are used to produce different colors of light. Other uses:

  • vacuum tubes
  • high-voltage indicators
  • lightning arrestors
  • wave meter tubes
  • television tubes
  • Neon and helium are used to make a type of gas laser
  • Liquefied neon is commercially used as a cryogenic refrigerant in applications not requiring the lower temperature range attainable with more expensive liquid helium refrigeration.

History

Neon (Greek νέος meaning "new") was discovered by Scottish chemist William Ramsay and English chemist Morris Travers in 1898.

Occurrence

Neon is a monatomic gas at standard conditions. Neon is rare, found in the Earth's atmosphere at 1 part in 65,000 and industrially produced by cryogenic fractional distillation of liquified air. Neon, like water vapor, is less dense than air; unlike water vapor, which condenses into a liquid below the stratosphere and is thus trapped in Earth's atmosphere, neon may slowly leak out into space, which could explain its scarcity on Earth.[citation needed] Argon, in contrast, is denser than air and so remains within Earth's atmosphere.

Compounds

The ions, Ne+, (NeAr)+, (NeH)+, and (HeNe+), have been observed from optical and mass spectrometric research. In addition, neon forms an unstable hydrate.

Isotopes

Neon has three stable isotopes: 20Ne (90.48%), 21Ne (0.27%) and 22Ne (9.25%). 21Ne and 22Ne are nucleogenic and their variations are well understood. In contrast, 20Ne is not known to be nucleogenic and the causes of its variation in the Earth have been hotly debated. The principal nuclear reactions which generate neon isotopes are neutron emission, alpha decay reactions on 24Mg and 25Mg, which produce 21Ne and 22Ne, respectively. The alpha particles are derived from uranium-series decay chains, while the neutrons are mostly produced by secondary reactions from alpha particles. The net result yields a trend towards lower 20Ne/22Ne and higher 21Ne/22Ne ratios observed in uranium-rich rocks such as granites. Isotopic analysis of exposed terrestrial rocks has demonstrated the cosmogenic production of 21Ne. This isotope is generated by spallation reactions on magnesium, sodium, silicon, and aluminium. By analyzing all three isotopes, the cosmogenic component can be resolved from magmatic neon and nucleogenic neon. This suggests that neon will be a useful tool in determining cosmic exposure ages of surficial rocks and meteorites.[1]

Similar to xenon, neon content observed in samples of volcanic gases are enriched in 20Ne, as well as nucleogenic 21Ne, relative to 22Ne content. The neon isotopic content of these mantle-derived samples represent a non-atmospheric source of neon. The 20Ne-enriched components are attributed to exotic primordial rare gas components in the Earth, possibly representing solar neon. Elevated 20Ne abundances are also found in diamonds, further suggesting a solar neon reservoir in the Earth.[2]

References
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External links

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