Neon is a colorless, odorless noble gas that was discovered in 1898 by Sir William Ramsay and Morris M. Travers. Some key facts about neon are that it has an atomic number of 10, melting point of -248.59°C, and is found in the Earth's atmosphere at 0.0018% concentration, where it exists as a gas at room temperature. Neon is produced during nuclear fusion reactions in stars and is released during stellar explosions. On Earth, it is extracted by fractional distillation of liquefied air and used primarily in neon signs for advertising due to its bright red-orange glow when energized.

2. The Element Neon
 Atomic Number: 10
 Atomic Weight: 20.1797
 Melting Point: 24.56 K (-248.59°C or -415.46°F)
 Boiling Point: 27.07 K (-246.08°C or -410.94°F)
 Density: 0.0008999 grams per cubic centimeter
 Phase at Room Temperature: Gas
 Element Classification: Non-metal
 Period Number: 2 Group Number: 18 Group Name: Noble
Gas
 Electronic Configuration: [He]2s22p6
 Number of Stable Isotopes: 3

3. History
 Neon was discovered by Sir William Ramsay, a
Scottish chemist, and Morris M. Travers, an English
chemist, shortly after their discovery of the element
krypton in 1898. Like krypton, neon was discovered
through the study of liquefied air. Although neon is the
fourth most abundant element in the universe, only
0.0018% of the earth's atmosphere is neon.

4. Occurence
Neon is widely distributed in the entire Universe. The
thermonuclear reactions between carbon and oxygen,
that occur in the stars cores and are responsible for its
high temperatures, can eventually create neon. Some
of these stars explode, originating novas or
supernovas, releasing huge amounts of gas,
responsible for the existence of neon in clouds of
interstellar gas. Probably, neon was part of the
condensing material that originated the Earth, being
later freed to the atmosphere by the erosion of the
rocks in the crust. However, most of the neon that
occurs in the Earth refers to its formation period. It is
extracted from liquefied by fractional distillation. It is
found in the atmosphere.

5. Uses
Neon is the gas responsible for the orange-red colour
discharge seen in the discharge tubes used for
advertising purposes. A blue or green coloration in the
discharge can be obtained by adding a little mercury
to the neon in the discharge tube. The largest use for
neon gas is in advertising signs. Neon is also used to
make high voltage indicators and is combined with
helium to make helium-neon lasers. Liquid neon is
used as a cryogenic refrigerant. Neon is highly inert
and forms no known compounds, although there is
some evidence that it could form a compound with
fluorine.

6. Images