7440-01-9 Usage
Description
Neon is a chemical element with the symbol Ne and atomic number 10. It is a noble gas that was discovered in 1898 by Dr. William Ramsay and Morris M. Travers as a condensation product in liquefied air. Neon is characterized by its bright red glow when ionized, making it a popular choice for lighting applications. It is estimated to be the fourth most abundant element in the universe, but on Earth, it constitutes only a small part (0.0018%) of the atmosphere.
Uses
Used in Lighting Industry:
Neon is used as a gas in neon light tubes for its bright red color when ionized. It can be mixed with other noble gases to produce different colors and can be bent and formed into unique shapes, including words and images for commercial advertising and signage.
Used in Safety and Warning Systems:
Neon is used as an ingredient in gaseous fillers for antifog devices, warning signals, electrical current detectors, high-voltage indicators for high-tension electric lines, lightning arresters, and wave-meter tubes.
Used in Scientific Instruments:
Neon is used in helium-neon lasers, high-voltage indicators, and mixtures with helium and argon in Geiger counters.
Used in Cryogenic Applications:
Neon's liquid form is used as a cryogen to produce low temperatures.
Used in Aerospace Industry:
Neon is used in airplane beacons for its luminous properties.
Used in Laboratory Experiments:
Neon is used in various laboratory experiments due to its inert nature and unique properties.
Isotopes
There are a total of 11 isotopes of neon, three of which are stable. They are Ne-20, which makes up 90.48% of the natural abundance of neon on Earth; Ne-21, whichcontributes just 0.27% to all the neon found in nature; and Ne-22, which contributes9.25% to the natural abundance of neon. All the other isotopes have half-lives rangingfrom 3.746×10-21 seconds to 3.38 minutes.
Origin of Name
The word “neon” was derived from the Greek word neos, meaning
“new.”
Characteristics
As with the other noble gases, neon is colorless, tasteless, and odorless. It glows bright redwhen electricity is passed through it in an enclosed glass tube. It will turn from a gas to a liquidat –245.92°C, and only under great pressure will it become solid. It is noncombustible andlighter than air, but not as light as helium.
History
Discovered by Ramsay and Travers in 1898. Neon
is a rare gaseous element present in the atmosphere to the extent
of 1 part in 65,000 of air. It is obtained by liquefaction
of air and separated from the other gases by fractional distillation.
Natural neon is a mixture of three isotopes. Fourteen
other unstable isotopes are known. It is very inert element;
however, it is said to form a compound with fluorine. It is still
questionable if true compounds of neon exist, but evidence
is mounting in favor of their existence. The following ions
are known from optical and mass spectrometric studies: Ne+,
(NeAr)+, (NeH)+, and (HeNe+). Neon also forms an unstable
hydrate. In a vacuum discharge tube, neon glows reddish orange.
Of all the rare gases, the discharge of neon is the most
intense at ordinary voltages and currents. Neon is used in
making the common neon advertising signs, which accounts
for its largest use. It is also used to make high-voltage indicators,
lightning arrestors, wave meter tubes, and TV tubes.
Neon and helium are used in making gas lasers. Liquid neon
is now commercially available and is finding important application
as an economical cryogenic refrigerant. It has over 40
times more refrigerating capacity per unit volume than liquid
helium and more than three times that of liquid hydrogen. It is compact, inert, and is less expensive than helium when it
meets refrigeration requirements. Neon costs about $800/80
cu. ft. (2265 l).
Production Methods
Neon is derived commercially from the atmosphere. It is recovered from air after separation of oxygen and nitrogen in air separation plants. The recovery process is based on liquefaction of air. Neon and helium have boiling points below that of liquid air. Thus, at liquid air temperature, nitrogen, oxygen, argon, krypton, and xenon remain in the liquid form, while a gas stream consisting of neon, helium, and some nitrogen is collected as gaseous mixture. The composition of this mixture can vary with the condenser and rate of withdrawal. Nitrogen is removed further by passing the gaseous mixture at 5 to 6 atm through a condenser maintained at liquid nitrogen temperatures. The residue after this step contains neon as the major component, with significant amounts of helium, hydrogen, and nitrogen.Such crude neon mixture is purified by various chemical and physical processes. Hydrogen is separated by chemically oxidizing it to water, which is removed by drying. Remaining nitrogen from the crude neon is removed by adsorption over charcoal at the liquid nitrogen temperature. After the removal of nitrogen and hydrogen, the technical grade neon may contain about 75% neon and 25% helium. Such neon-helium mixtures may be further separated into their individual components either by differential absorption on charcoal at cold temperatures or by fractional distillation of their liquefied mixture. Fractional distillation, based on the difference of boiling points between helium (-269°C) and neon (-223°C), is the more expensive process. Neon also may be obtained in liquid form if the charcoal in the adsorption process is maintained at its liquefaction temperature. Process conditions may vary depending on purity of the product desired.
Reactivity Profile
These substances undergo no chemical reactions under any known circumstances. They are nonflammable, noncombustible and nontoxic. They can asphyxiate.
Hazard
Simple asphyxiant
Hazard
Neon is nontoxic. As an asphyxiate gas, it can smother by removing oxygen from thelungs.
Safety Profile
An inert asphpant gas.
Potential Exposure
Neon is used in photoelectric bulbs
and certain light tubes; in the electronic industry; in lasers;
in plasma studies; and other research.
Shipping
UN1065 Neon and UN1913 Neon, refrigerated
liquid (cryogenic liquid), Hazard Class: 2.2; Labels:
2.2-Nonflammable compressed gas. Cylinders must be
transported in a secure upright position, in a well-ventilated
truck. Protect cylinder and labels from physical damage.
The owner of the compressed gas cylinder is the only entity
allowed by federal law (49CFR) to transport and refill
them. It is a violation of transportation regulations to refill
compressed gas cylinders without the express written
permission of the owner.
Purification Methods
Pass the gas through a copper coil packed with 60/80 mesh 13X molecular sieves which is cooled in liquid N2, or through a column of Ascarite (NaOH-coated silica adsorbent).
Toxicity evaluation
Neon gas is a simple asphyxiant. It displaces the oxygen
necessary to support life. When normal levels of oxygen are not
present in the body, then all tissues, organs, and organ systems
eventually malfunction. Tissues with particularly high oxygen
and energy requirements, including the brain and heart, are
particularly susceptible to harmful effects resulting from
reduced levels of oxygen in the body.
Incompatibilities
Compressed neon gas under pressure
may explode when heated.
Waste Disposal
Return refillable compressed
gas cylinders to supplier. Venting to atmosphere.
Check Digit Verification of cas no
The CAS Registry Mumber 7440-01-9 includes 7 digits separated into 3 groups by hyphens. The first part of the number,starting from the left, has 4 digits, 7,4,4 and 0 respectively; the second part has 2 digits, 0 and 1 respectively.
Calculate Digit Verification of CAS Registry Number 7440-01:
(6*7)+(5*4)+(4*4)+(3*0)+(2*0)+(1*1)=79
79 % 10 = 9
So 7440-01-9 is a valid CAS Registry Number.
InChI:InChI=1/Ne
