Neon
(Ne), chemical element, inert gas of Group 0 (noble gases) of the periodic table, used in electric signs and fluorescent lamps.Colourless, odourless, tasteless, and lighter than air, neon gas occurs in minute quantities in the Earth's atmosphere and trapped within the rocks of the Earth's crust. Though neon is about 3 1/2 times as plentiful as helium in the atmosphere, dry air contains only 0.0018 percent neon by volume. This element is more abundant in the cosmos than on Earth. Neon liquefies at -246.048° C (-411° F) and freezes at a temperature only 2 1/25 lower. When under low pressure, it emits a bright orange-red light if an electrical current is pass-ed through it. This property is utilized in neon signs (which first became familiar in the 1920s), in some fluorescent and gaseous conduction lamps, and in high-voltage testers.
Uses: Neon is used glow lamps, electron tubes, signs, plasma studies, fluorescent starter tubes, cryogenic refrigeration and gas lasers.
