Noble gases unreactive why

The table summarises the electronic configurations of elements in groups 1, 7 and 0. You should see that:. The main properties of the noble gases include:. Many uses of the noble gases are linked to one or more of these properties. Helium is used as a lifting gas in party balloons and airships. Helium is:. Atoms do so by reacting chemically with other atoms or ions and so are known as Reactive. This, however, does not happen in case of noble gases.

These atoms already have a stable electronic state making them unable to react or respond to chemical changes around them. Another preference of smaller atoms to have two electrons in the outermost electronic shell is called as duplet rule.

The different gases glow when an electric current is passed through them. Many of these gases are used in displays because of their chemical inertness. They are stable and will not react with other materials in the system.

Radon also will give a reddish glow, but is not used because it is radioactive and will not retain its structure as radon for any significant length of time. Skip to main content. The Periodic Table. Search for:.

Noble Gases Learning Objectives List the noble gases. Describe the electron configuration of the noble gases. Describe compounds of the noble gases. What gives these lights their color? Superconducting magnets are used for an important medical imaging technology called Magnetic Resonance Imaging MRI , which allows images of tissues and organs to be obtained.

A related technology is used by chemists to obtain information that can be used to deduce the structures of molecules; this technique is called Nuclear Magnetic Resonance NMR ; the two technologies are basically the same, but the term "nuclear" is avoided in the medical application because of its unpleasant associations even though there is no nuclear radiation involved. Helium is also used in blimps, where the combination of being lighter than air and nonflammable makes it much safer than hydrogen as demonstrated in the explosion of the Hindenburg.

It is also used in deep-sea diving, since helium is less soluble in the bloodstream than nitrogen, and reduces the risk of the diver suffering nitrogen narcosis, high pressure nervous syndrome HPNS , or the bends. Breathing helium gas causes the voice to become higher pitched because helium is less dense than air, changing the frequency of the sound waves generated in the larynx.

Neon is a colorless, odorless, unreactive gas which liquefies at Neon was discovered in by Sir William Ramsay see entry on Argon below and his assistant Morris Travers while working with a sample of krypton. The name comes from the Greek word for "new," neos. It is found in the Earth's crust at a concentration of 70 ppt, making it the 80th most abundant element; it is found in the atmosphere at a concentration of 18 ppm by volume.

Neon which is used commercially is extracted from liquid air by fractional distillation. Neon is used primarily in neon lights ; stimulating neon with electricity causes it to emit an intense red light. Other noble gases are used in "neon lights" as well, to produce different colors. Neon is also used in some underwater breathing mixtures; liquid neon is used in low-temperature cooling. Argon is a colorless, odorless, unreactive gas which liquefies at It is found in the Earth's crust at a concentration of 1.

Argon which is used commercially is extracted from liquid air by fractional distillation. Argon had been observed before by Henry Cavendish in , but it had not been identified as an element.