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".