Neon
Symbol: Ne
Atomic number: 10
Average atomic mass: 20.1797
History/Discovery
Neon was discovered in 1898 by Scottish chemist William Ramsey. Ramsay chilled a sample of the atmosphere until it became a liquid, then warmed the liquid and captured the gases as they boiled off, proving that the element is obtained by liquefaction of air.
Applications/Uses
Neon is used for neon signs, high-voltage indicators, lightning arrestors, wave meter tubes and TV tubes. Mixtures of neon and helium are used for gas lazers. Liquid neon is commercially available as a cryogenic refrigerant.
Properties
Neon is the fifth most abundant chemical element in the universe by mass and is the second lightest noble gas. Its normal color is reddish-orange. All other "neon" colors are created using a mercury vapor discharge which excites a phosphor via fluorescence, or by the other Noble Gases.
http://periodic.lanl.gov/elements/10.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neon
http://periodic.lanl.gov/elements/10.html
