Neon

Founding of Neon

Morris M. Travers, and English Chemist, and Sir William Ramsay, a Scottish Chemist discovered the element Neon in London England in 1898. Thies element is a gas at room temperature and was put into the category with non-metals. They also discovered its atomic weight to be 20.1797. Neon was given the atomic number of 10 putting it between Fluorine and Sodium. By placing it between these two, Neon was put in the category of Noble Gas. It is in period 2 and group 18 on the periodic table.

Uses of Neon

Travers and Ramsay made a very important discovery because Neon can be used in many different things. Neon was placed in a vacuum tube discharge and was found to glow a reddish orange color. Neon is used in high voltage indicators which are warning lights that glow when voltage has reached a dangerous point. This element can also be found in lightning arrestors whic are attached to homes where wires are connected to the house. The arrestors prevent the electricity caused by lightning to reach the house. Neon is also used in TV tubes in older televisions. They are used in giving the first color TVs their color. Probably the most well known use of Neon is in Neon signs. These signs are usind in front of stores, bar windows, and many other things. Even though Neon is a colorless, odorless, gas, it still glows a reddish orange color when placed in a discharge tube. In order to get the different colors of neon signs, Neon gas is mixed with other elements to produce signs of all the colors of the rainbow.

Ramsay and Travers

Ramsay was born in Glasgaw on October 2nd, 1852. He was the winner of a Nobel Peace Prize in 1904. Travers was born in Kensington, London on January 24, 1872. Travers died at the age of 89 on August 25, 1961. The two also discovered Krypton and Xenon

Neon and its Characteristics

Neon is a colorless, odorless gas that is only visible when placed in a vacuum discarge tubew. Neon is in the Noble Gas family which means it is very stable. It is stable because it has a full set of ourter valence electrons. Since the outer orbital is full, it has a high amount of energy because if it were to lose even one electron, it would become unstable. The same as if it were to gain an electron, that would make it unstable as well