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".