Some Interesting Facts About Zesta Neon

The word neon usually brings to mind, fluorescent colors and bright illuminated signages. But besides its popularity as a lighting installation, neon is also used in a variety of different things. Here are 5 interesting facts about neon.  

Neon Can Penetrate Fog 

One of the characteristics of neon that makes it a resourceful lighting installation is that it cannot be obscured by fog. Where most lights would gather moisture around them and also weaken in brightness, neon signages can easily penetrate fog and illuminate unhindered.

This is also the main reason why neon lights are used at airports and flare guns to give signals. 

Both Rare And Abundant 

Neon is the fifth most abundant element in the universe while at the same time, it is only available in the Earth's atmosphere at 1 part in 65,000.  On earth, neon is typically extracted from liquified air through a process called fractional distillation although it is also available in trace amounts in the earth’s crust, diamonds, some volcanic vents. 

It’s Colorless And Odorless

Neon is a monatomic noble gas and also the second-lightest element. It is an inert, gas with ⅔ of the density of air meaning, it is not very reactive at room temperature. When it is not ionized, neon has no color or odor.   

It Glows Red

Although the neon gas itself has no color or odor, it is associated with a range of bright fluorescent hues. The different colors of neon lights we see around us are produced by adding other gases to the mixture. For example gases like hydrogen are added to produce red, helium for yellow, carbon dioxide to create white, and mercury to make blue. By itself, neon produces a bright reddish-orange glow when it is electrically charged. 

The Word Means New

The name neon comes from the Greek word  - νέος or novum, which means new. It is was discovered by two British chemists Sir William Ramsay and Morris W who suspected the presence of another noble element. Neon was extracted from liquified air along with argon, xenon, and krypton. Ramsay named the gas neon and his discovery won him the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1904.