The 10th element with the symbol Ne. Neon is one of the most
well-known noble gases, largely due to the fact that it is used in Neon signs and lights that pop up on
fast-food diners and companies that want customers badly. Despite being the most famous out of all the noble gases, it is quite uncommon in our atmosphere, with Argon - another fellow noble gas - being 23x more abundant than Neon.
Like the rest of the other gases in its group, Neon is 100% inert and antisocial, and will not tolerate participating in reactions with other chemicals. It is also monatomic, meaning that it occurs as a
single atom, unlike Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, and the halogens, which occur as two tightly-bonded atoms due to their
high reactivity. Neon derived its name from the
Greek "Neos", which meant "
new". And at the time of its discovery (1898), an invincible gas that could emit a red glow from excitement would be considered "new".