Neon

Symbol: Ne
Atomic number: 10
Category: noble gases
Group: 18
Period: 2
Block: p
Atomic weight: 20.1797 g/mol
Electrons per shell: 2, 8
CAS number: 7440-01-9
Phase: gas
Density: 0.9002 g/l (0 °C, 101.325 kPa)
Melting point: 24.56 K (-248.59 °C, -415.46 °F)
Boiling point: 27.07 K (-246.08 °C, -410.94 °F)
Crystal structure: cubic face centered
Oxidation states: unknown
Electronegativity: inert
Name's origin: neon
Name's meaning: a Greek word which means 'new one'
Facts:
- a very common element in the universe but rare on Earth
- gives a distinct reddish-orange glow when used in discharge tubes and neon lamps
- is commercially extracted from air, in which it is found in trace amounts
- is the second-lightest noble gas
- has over 40 times the refrigerating capacity of liquid helium and three times that of liquid hydrogen (on a per unit volume basis)
- is the fifth most abundant chemical element in the universe by mass, after hydrogen, helium, oxygen, and carbon
- is used in vacuum tubes, high-voltage indicators, lightning arrestors, wave meter tubes, television tubes, light signs, and helium-neon lasers
- liquefied neon is commercially used as a cryogenic refrigerant in applications not requiring the lower temperature range attainable with more extreme liquid helium refrigeration