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In 1898, two British men from England discovered a
new chemical element. Sir Walter Ramsey and Morris Travers
were studying liquid air when they discovered neon. Neon
comes from the Greek word "neos", which means "new". |
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Neon has many characteristics, both chemical and physical. Since Neon is a noble (inert) gas, it is chemically stable. It has two energy shells, with two electrons in the first energy shell and 8 in the last energy shell. When you are looking on the Periodic Table of Elements, you would find Neon in the last group and in the first period. It also has an atomic number of ten, and an atomic mass of 20.1797 amu.
The boiling point is around 27.049994 Kelvin (-246.048 degrees Celsius), and a melting point near the 24.549994- Kelvin (-248.67 degrees Celsius) mark. The specific heat of Neon is 0.904 3/gk the heat of fusion is 0.3317 kl/mol, and the heat of vaporization is 1.7326 kl/mol. Physically, Neon is gaseous, colorless, odorless, and tasteless. Neon is the fourth most abundant in the universe and the fifth most abundant in the earth's atomosphere.
Today, Neon is used mostly for advertising. Because of its unique and bright glow it makes when electricity passes through it, business owners like it because people can see it from far away because of the glow. Neon lights have been made in basically the same way for the last fifty years. Sticks of glass are heated and then bent into letters or shapes by glass benders. Glass benders have to follow a specific pattern given to them by the client. Neon signs are pretty expensive, but in the long run they are the most cost efficient lighting on the market today. Neon lights can last up to twenty years or maybe even more. Lights made with neon can be easily repaired if they ever break. Airports use neon lights because it has the ability to penetrate fog better.
