Physical Characteristics

• Neon is a light gas that is colorless, odorless and tasteless; it is even lighter than air. It has a density of 0.89990 per g/liter. Neon has a freezing point of -248.67° centigrade, and a boiling point of -246.048° centigrade, lower than the boiling point of nitrogen. Neon is not reactive because it has a outer shell that prevents the loss or gain of any electrons and therefore has no known stable compounds, although an exotic compound can be made with neon and fluorine in a laboratory setting. It is this physical property that puts neon in the group of elements called "Noble Gases," none of which react in nature with other elements.
  
  

Atomic Properties

• Neon has an atomic number of 10 with a mass of 20.180. It has three stable isotopes: neon 20, 21 and 22 making up 90.92, 0.26 and 8.82 percent respectively of natural neon. Five other isotopes of Neon are radioactive, and none of which occur naturally in nature. Liquefied neon is used commercially as an economical cryogenic refrigerant.
  
  

Neon Applications

• The main use of neon is in fluorescent lighting and neon signs, which are red or orange; various gases are used to produce other colors of neon light. High voltage indicators use neon as well as lighting arrestors, wave meter tubes and television tubes. A type of glass laser also uses neon and helium.
  
  

Neon Production

• Neon was first isolated from argon gas, but now it is produced from the distillation of liquefied air first by removing the nitrogen using condensation under high pressure and by lowering the temperature. Activated charcoal at low temperatures is used to separate the helium using selective absorption. This is a slow process, and 88,000 lbs. of air are needed to produce 1 lb. of neon.
  
  

Health Risks

• Because neon is an inert, nontoxic gas, it does not directly cause any health threats, and people take in small particles of neon from the air during respiration. Excessive concentrations of neon, however, can cause dizziness, vomiting, asphyxiation and even death due to being deprived of oxygen. No danger to the environment is posed by the presence of neon, which is the most prolific gas in the universe. Its inability to form compounds makes it environmentally safe.