Important Facts About Neon Gas

Neon was first discovered in 1898 by two British chemists Morris W. Travers and Sir William Ramsay. Neon gas is an odorless, colorless and tasteless inert gas. It belongs to the Group VIIIA elements, known as noble gases. The chemical has an atomic number of 10. It is denoted with the symbol Ne. The boiling point of the chemical is -246.08 °C and melting point is -248.59 °C.

Neon gas is the second lightest inert gas, after helium gas. The chemical is not hazardous at normal conditions. It is very stable and relatively non-reactive. It shows extremely low reaction rates. It reacts with fluorine and water. The chemical can be hazardous,*if it is allowed to reach high concentrations. At high concentrations the chemical turns into an asphyxiant. It can displace oxygen in the lungs, which can cause suffocation and eventually death.

After hydrogen, helium, oxygen and carbon, neon gas is the fifth most abundant element in the universe. The gas is very rare on Earth. A large amount of neon is produced during volcanic eruptions. Further, large quantities of neon are trapped in Earth's atmosphere and crust. The gas is extracted from the atmosphere through the process of fractional distillation. The chemical is expensive because it is relatively rare.

Neon gas produces a reddish-orange glow in a discharge tube under a low pressure on the passage of electric current. The reddish-orange glow gets converted into a bright blue color on addition of mercury in trace quantities. This property of neon is utilized in fluorescent lamps, neon glow lamps, gaseous conduction lamps, gas lasers, plasma studies, high-voltage testers, neon signs and various other lighting systems. The special type of lighting produced by neon gas is known as gas discharge lighting.

Let us now understand the working of a neon lighting system. Inert gases, such as neon, krypton or argon are kept inside a glass tube at low pressure. Metal electrodes are kept at both the ends of the glass tube. A high voltage is applied to the electrodes to ignite the neon gas. The electrons get activated on ignition. This causes the neon atoms to emit reddish-orange light.

Neon signs are widely used for advertising purposes. The market today offers neon signs in a variety of colors and styles. These advertising signs are widely used in bars, restaurants, pubs, shops and taverns. Further, neon lights have the capability of penetrating fog. These lighting systems are widely used in the regions with extremely cold climatic conditions. These lights are also used in airplanes, aircraft beacons, cars, trucks, military vehicles, amusement places, theme parks and arcades. Ne also serves as a coolant. It is used as a cryogenic refrigerant in the liquefied state.

Emma Heuton is a writer who writes on several topics. Mostly she writes on SME, Business, products and manufacturing units. To provide useful insights, she prefers to study comprehensively. You can also find information on Neon Gas in this article but if looking for more information on it, you may visit http://www.hellotrade.com.