Essay/Term paper: The noble gases

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Science Research Papers

The Noble Gases


The Noble Gases are the far right elements on the periodic table.
On the earth they are scarce so we don¹t see much of them. They are do not
react well with anything. In fact until around the 50¹s they hadn¹t found
anything that they would react with any of the gases. But then someone found
out that Fluorine one the of most reactive elements could form compounds with
Xenon. Later they found that it could react with most of the other nobles.
Helium is one of the more scarce nobles on earth but in the
universe it makes up 25% of it. Helium¹s presence was discovered by using
spectral analysis to detect helium in the sun¹s spectrum. Helium is not found a
lot on the earth because gravity cannot keep helium from escaping to space.
Helium is found mostly in stars, where it goes through nuclear fusion with
hydrogen. Most Helium comes from natural gas taps in North America. It is used
in balloons and divers use it with oxygen to breath easier and to not get sick
or dizzy.
Neon is an element that is lighter than air. The element is
found most common in the atmosphere of the earth. It is also found in the earth¹
s crust. It was discovered in 1898 by Sir Walter Ramsey and Morris W. Travers.
Its uses include electric signs,lamps,and lasers.
Argon is the most abundant and most used noble on earth. It was
discovered by Lord Rayleigh and by Sir Walter Ramsey in 1894. Argon makes up
about 1.2 % of the earths atmosphere. It is found naturally in rock and in the
air. It is used for electric light bulbs and floursent tubes. It is also used a
lot in industry.
Krypton a very rare noble was discovered by Sir Walter Ramsey
and by Morris W. Travers. Traces of it are found in natural gas,hot springs and
volcanoes but most of it is in the atmosphere. It is used for incadesent lights
and it is used in high speed photography.
Xenon is the first noble to form compounds with another element.
It is very heavy and extremely rare. It was discovered by Sir Walter Ramsey and
Morris W. Travers. It is found in mineral springs and in the Martian
atmosphere. It is used in stroboscopes and many things to do with photography.
Radon is a very heavy radioactive gas. It was discovered by
Freredich E. Dorn in 1900. It is in spring water, soil, and in some rocks. It
is used to cause chemical reactions in medical procedures. Even though it helps
it is seen as a major health risk because it can seep through poorly ventilated
houses and contribute to cancer of the lungs.