What makes noble gases so special

The noble gases make up the last column of elements in the periodic table. They are commonly called Group 18, the inert gases, the rare gases, the helium family, or the neon family. The group consists of 7 elements: helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon. These elements are gases at ordinary room temperature and pressure. Noble gases are characterized by:. The lack of reactivity makes these elements useful for many applications. They can be used to shield reactive chemicals from oxygen.

They are ionized for use in lamps and lasers. A comparable set of elements are the noble metals , which display low reactivity for metals. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights.

Here are five of the six noble gases: helium, neon, argon, kypton and xeon. They're all colourless and transparent. Krypton and xeon form compounds only with difficulty. Helium, neon and argon don't form compounds at all. As we descend the group in the periodic table the atomic number and relative atomic mass increases.

The gasses get denser. Helium - helium is lighter than air. Neon is just lighter. Argon and krypton - I've just got to unstick these from the anchorage Argon and krypton are both heavier than air. And xeon, xeon is the heaviest of the lot, you've heard of a lead balloon, well this is it. The noble gases, in order of their density, are helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon and radon. For this reason they are also known as inert gases. Most of the noble gases are extracted from the air, except for helium.

Helium is a product of radioactive decay the alpha particle and is found naturally in rocks. Helium, the lightest, is used for filling party balloons. Neon is probably most famous for neon signs — a tube containing neon gas through which a current is passed which causes the gas to give out light. When mixed with helium it is used to make helium-neon lasers. Argon is used as the inert atmosphere in many light bulbs — an electric current is passed through a wire to heat it up so that it gets so hot it emits light.

At these temperatures the metal would react with any oxygen present which is why an inert gas is needed.

Krypton is used to produce white light for photography — again an electrical current is passed through the gas so it emits light. Radon is a radioactive element. Radon gas is formed by decay of other radioactive elements and the concentration in the environment depends upon the types of rocks on which you live. For example, the granite in Dartmoor contains small amounts of uranium that forms radon, which can accumulate in buildings and drinking water.

The table summarises the electronic configurations of elements in groups 1, 7 and 0. You should see that:. The main properties of the noble gases include:. Many uses of the noble gases are linked to one or more of these properties. Helium is used as a lifting gas in party balloons and airships.

Helium is:. Argon is used as a 'shield gas' when welding pieces of metal together. Argon is:.