Does the term ‘neon sign’ sound familiar?
People who like retro pieces or cyberpunk worlds will be familiar with it. However, just hearing the name ‘neon’ doesn’t give you much idea of its uses and properties.
This article will therefore explain the nature and characteristics of neon and how it is used in real society.
Contents
Properties and characteristics of Neon
It is colorless and can be a very stable element with no chemical reactivity. It is the second lightest of the noble gases and is the second most abundant in the Earth’s atmosphere after argon.
Neon has the property that the ratio difference in volume is the same between gas and liquid if they have the same weight. Therefore, it is common practice to transport them in liquid form and turn them into gas where needed.
How Neon is used in society
Neon is used in many areas, including ‘neon signs’, ‘excimer lasers’ and ‘plasma TVs’.
But neon works differently in each applications. Let’s look at each of these.
Neon is useful for “neon sign”
When voltage is applied to low-voltage neon, it glows red-orange. This is what we call a neon tube. The use of these neon tubes to make signs is what is known as a ‘neon sign’. They are often found in Western bars.
Although LEDs have now replaced them in many cases, neon signs were commonly used in the past.
Neon is useful for “excimer laser”
Excimer lasers are a type of gas laser that is mainly used in LASIK surgery. It’s a laser that uses a gas mixture, and the gas contains neon. Excimer lasers are also used in semiconductors.
Neon is useful for “plasma television”
LCD and plasma TVs were candidates to replace CRTs. Neon was also used in these plasma TVs, although they are no longer in production. Not so long ago, large-screen TVs were often thought of as plasma TVs.
History of Neon
Chemical symbol: Ne
English name: Neon
The name comes from the Greek word neos, meaning ‘new’.
It was discovered in 1898 by the British chemists Ramsey and Travers. Helium and argon were originally known as noble gases. When they saw the periodic table recited by Mendeleyev, they actually thought that there must be an unknown element between the two.
That’s when neon was discovered. So, as the name suggests, it was a “new” element.
Summary
In this article, we have explained about neon.
The key points of this article are as follows.
- Neon is a colorless, stable, rare gas.
- Used in ‘neon signs’, ‘excimer lasers’, ‘plasma lasers’, etc.
- Discovered as a new element between helium and argon.
If you are interested in other elements, the following article summarizes them. Please take a look.
