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Discovery in 1898: How neon revealed the secrets of the noble gases?
In the world of chemistry, Neon is one of the rare gases that cannot be ignored. It was discovered in 1898 by British chemists Sir William Ramsay and Maurice Travers, an event that not only revealed neon's uniqueness but also opened up a deeper study of the properties of noble gases. The discovery of neon was an important milestone in chemistry at the time, as it not only expanded our understanding of elements but also enhanced the study of noble gases.
Neon is a colorless, odorless, and chemically inert monatomic gas with a stunning reddish-orange luster.
Under standard conditions, neon is about two-thirds as dense as air, making it ubiquitous in the universe and our solar system. Although neon ranks fifth in relative abundance in the universe, behind hydrogen, helium, oxygen and carbon, it is relatively scarce on Earth, accounting for only about 18.2 ppm of the Earth's atmospheric volume.
The discovery process of neon
In their laboratory in London, Ramsay and Travers cool air samples down to a liquid state and then heat them section by section to capture different gases. Initially, they had identified nitrogen, oxygen, and argon, but the later discovery of neon, which gave it a stunningly bright red light, made it a newly discovered gas. Because of this unique light color, neon immediately attracted enthusiastic attention in the scientific community at the time.
Ramsay's son suggested naming neon after the Greek root word "new", which fully reflects the novel nature of this element.
In this experiment, Ramsey and Travers not only discovered neon, but also Krypton and Xenon, which further expanded mankind's understanding of rare gases.
Characteristics of neon
As a noble gas, neon's chemical behavior appears to be very inactive. There are three main stable isotopes, of which 20Ne accounts for 90.48%. Neon is produced in the universe by nuclear fusion in stars, a process that mainly occurs inside high-energy stars with temperatures exceeding 500 megakelvins. This means that the formation of neon is closely related to the evolution of stars.
The uniqueness of neon in our everyday applications is its bright red radiation, making it ideal for neon lights and other lighting fixtures.
The most famous application of neon is in neon lights, which are low-voltage lamps that emit a bright red-orange light when powered. Although LED lights are now gradually replacing them as technology advances, neon lights remain a popular decorative and advertising tool that can create eye-catching visual effects.
Future revelation
As the demand for neon continues to increase, especially in semiconductor manufacturing and laser technology, the production and supply chain of neon are also particularly important. In recent years, global neon prices have fluctuated wildly due to geopolitical changes, especially in 2022, as fighting in Ukraine affected supply chains, further underlining the importance of neon and its rarity. Many chip manufacturers are looking for alternative supply sources to cope with growing market demand.
As technology continues to develop, our understanding of neon continues to deepen. Will this inspire more innovative applications?
