Saturday, February 8, 2014

Argon Gas Supply Chicago And The Other Noble Gases

By Marcie Goodman


Argon (chemical symbol Ar)is a colorless, odorless member of the noble gases. It is present in the atmosphere at very low levels and is more inert than gaseous nitrogen. Although Ar is limited, it is 500 times more abundant than neon, the next most common noble gas. Argon is very inert, which makes it unlikely to form a chemical compound with anything. It is perfect for Argon gas supply Chicago because it is handy for working with air-sensitive materials.

One of the main commercial applications of Ar is in the double glazing industry. Placed between the two panes of glass, it acts as an insulator. This is one of the main attractions of double glazing, especially in areas with cold winters and very hot summers. Ar is also used as a welding gas and in the lasers that cut through titanium metal. It also works with oxygen to refine stainless steel. This is called the argon-oxygen decarburising procedure.

The lightest of the noble gases is helium (chemical symbol He). Like Ar, it is odorless, colorless and inert. The melting and boiling points of Helium are the lowest of all the elements. Because helium is lighter than air, it is often used in party balloons. Inhaling the gas causes the user to speak with a squeaky voice. A coroner in the United Kingdom is calling for sales of the gas to be regulated after a 23 year-old college student used it to kill himself.

In between helium and Ar in the Periodic Table of the Elements is neon. Like its stablemates, neon is colorless, odorless and unreactive. Commercially, neon is used in lighting, gas lasers and cryogenic refrigeration. Argon is the third most common gas in the atmosphere after Nitrogen and Oxygen.

Noble gas number four is Krypton (Kr). Toxic to certain extraterrestrial superheroes, krypton, like all noble gases, derives its name from the Greek language. In this case, the word is "hidden." Also like all other noble gases, it was discovered during a six-week period that began in May of 1898. It was isolated by two English scientists, Sir William Ramsay and Morris Travers. Commercially, Kr is used in fluorescent lighting and in flash lamps used in photography.

Xenon, the next noble gas, is present in the Earth in trace amounts. Used commercially in lighting, krypton's most common use is in scrabble games, owing to the high-scoring letter "x". Like the other noble gases, it gets its name from the Greek language. In this case, it is the word meaning "hidden."

The last of the noble gases, and the most heavy, is radon. It has the unusual property of reflecting a brilliant phorphorescence when chilled beyond its freezing point. It is the only gas that has radioactive isotopes and it is used in the treatment of cancer. Radon gets its name via radium, the "middle element."

Argon gas supply Chicago is a very commercially viable gas. It is used in the computer industry. It is used to make windows, where it provides insulation. Argon is also used in lasers.




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