What are noble gases?
Q: What are noble gases?
A: Noble gases are a group of elements that are all gases and found in group 18 of the periodic table. They have a full 8 electrons outer electron shell, meaning each molecule is a single atom and they almost never react with other elements.
Q: How many noble gases are there?
A: There are six noble gases - helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon and radon.
Q: Where can these noble gases be found?
A: These noble gases can be found in air and make up around 0.96% of the atmosphere.
Q: Can compounds be formed from noble gases?
A: Yes, compounds can be formed from noble gases.
Q: What happens when the noble gas is used in cold cathode tubes to produce light?
A: When the noble gas is used in cold cathode tubes to produce light, each of them has a different colour.
Radon is usually not used for lighting because it is radioactive.
Q: Who discovered the Noble Gases?
A: The Noble Gases were discovered by Lord Rayleigh and Sir William Ramsay who both won Nobel Prizes for their work on them - Rayleigh won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1904 and Ramsay won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry also in 1904.
Q: What element follows Radon as part of Group 18 on the Periodic Table?
A: Oganesson (element 118) follows Radon as part of Group 18 on the Periodic Table but it has a half life of 0.89 ms after which it decays to Livermorium (Element 116), so its use is probably limited.
