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WHAT ARE NOBLE GAS |
Noble gases are sometimes called inert gases, and they are the elements in Group 18 of the periodic table. They comprise the elements helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radioactive radon, which has no known stable isotopes. These gases are found as single atoms as they do not like to interact with other atoms on the periodic table, hence the name inert. Their outer-most electrons shells (valence shells) are completely full with eight electrons (save helium with two), which "seals the deal" and defines the chemistry of these elements (see octet rule). There are six noble gases:
When the noble gases are used in cold cathode tubes to produce light, some noble gases have different colours. Since Radon is radioactive, it is usually not used for lightning. Ununoctium (element 118) is probably the next noble gas after Radon. However it has a half life of 0.89 ms, after which it decays to Ununhexium (Element 116). This means its use is probably limited. |