Neon
💡 In Your World
Neon is famous for one thing above all: the brilliant, reddish-orange glow of neon signs. When an electric current is passed through neon gas in a tube, it emits this iconic light. While we often call all colorful gas-discharge signs "neon," only the red-orange ones actually contain pure neon. Other colors are made using different noble gases, like argon.
📖 The Discovery Story
Neon was discovered in 1898 by British chemists Sir William Ramsay and Morris W. Travers. After discovering krypton and xenon by distilling liquid air, they suspected another gas was present. They repeated their experiment and discovered a new, lighter gas that produced a brilliant red light under spectroscopic discharge. Travers wrote, "the blaze of crimson light from the tube told its own story." They named it "neon," from the Greek word neos, meaning "new."
📊 Properties at a Glance
| Phase at STP | Gas |
| Melting Point | -248.59 °C / -415.46 °F |
| Boiling Point | -246.08 °C / -410.94 °F |
| Electron Configuration | [He] 2s²2p⁶ |
| Abundance in Earth's Crust | 0.0000003% |
⚠️ Safety & Handling
As a noble gas, neon is completely inert and non-toxic. It forms no known stable compounds at room temperature. The main hazard associated with neon is the same as with other inert gases: in a poorly ventilated area, it can displace oxygen and act as an asphyxiant. Liquid neon is cryogenic and can cause severe frostbite on contact.