the.com/noble gas
The aristocrats of the periodic table, too complete to mingle with the chemical riffraff.
means A noble gas is any of the chemically inert elements in the rightmost column of the periodic table — helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon — whose full outer electron shells make them reluctant to react with anything.
from The 'noble' comes from chemistry's old habit of borrowing aristocratic language: just as 'noble metals' like gold resisted corroding or mixing with baser substances, these gases were dubbed noble for their aloof refusal to bond. The term is a translation of the German Edelgas (edel meaning 'noble'), coined in the late 19th century after argon and its relatives were discovered — and 'noble' itself traces back through Old French to Latin nobilis, 'well-known, high-born,' from noscere, 'to know.'
- Why noble
- Full electron shells mean they rarely bond
- Helium escape
- It leaks out of Earth into space forever
- Neon glow
- Pure neon shines only red-orange
- Radon danger
- Radioactive gas seeping into basements worldwide
- Late discovery
- Argon found in air in 1894
helium-4 — most abundant noble gas in universe, used in deep-sea diving and mri machines
argon-40 — comprises 0.93% of earth's atmosphere, most common noble gas on earth
xenon — element 54, used in high-intensity discharge lamps and anesthetic gas
neon — element 10, produces characteristic red glow in neon signs since 1910s