10Ne20.18
Neon
Noble gasesColourless gases with full outer shells, so they hardly ever react.
[He] 2s² 2p⁶
- Atomic number
- 10
- Atomic mass
- 20.18
- Protons
- 10
- Neutrons
- 10 (most common)
- Electrons
- 10
- Shells
- 2, 8
- State at 25 °C
- Gas
- Position
- Group 18, period 2
Proton (+)Neutron (0)Electron (−)
Discovered byWilliam Ramsay and Morris Travers, 1898William Ramsay: 5 elementsMorris Travers: 3 elements
They found neon by cooling air until it turned liquid, then letting it slowly boil and collecting the gases one by one. Neon means “new” in Greek.
Did you know?
- Its full outer shell makes it almost completely unreactive.
- True neon signs glow red-orange; other colours use other gases.
Where it's found
- A tiny amount of the air
What it's used for
- Glowing red-orange signs
- Helium-neon lasers
Try it
There's no safe home experiment for Neon. Explore it with the animated atom above instead.