Page 40 - Curriculum Visions Dynamic Book

Helium and neon
Helium is named after the Greek word helios, meaning “Sun”, so named because the gas was first observed in the Sun.
It is one of the smallest and lightest of
the elements and the first of the noble gases. Because it is chemically inert, it does not form compounds and so does not get locked away in rocks. Being so light, it soon floats upwards through the air and escapes to space.
Neon, symbol Ne, is the second of the noble gases (after helium) in the Periodic Table and was named for the Greek neos meaning “new”. It makes up about one part in 65,000 parts of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Uses for neon
Until recently, liquid helium has been thought to be the best gas to use for refrigeration systems, but neon is over 40 times as effective, so this application may increase in the future.
Neon is best known for giving
its name to the glowing discharge tubes called “neon tubes”. In fact neon glows with a reddish–orange colour, and the other colours seen in neon lights are in fact discharges from other noble gases.
Neon is also used in many other applications, including television tubes and gas lasers.
 Helium is used to fill party balloons and modern airships because it is safer. It has almost the same lifting power
as hydrogen, but cannot catch fire.
Of all the helium produced 10% is
used for lifting.
Where does helium come from?
Helium is the stuff of stars, and was formed, some scientists believe, in the first few minutes of the creation of the Universe (known as the Big Bang). It is still being made as hydrogen fuses together to fuel
the energy released from the stars. Helium is also being made on Earth. This happens because some radioactive substances decay
to release helium, and it is this tiny amount of product that becomes occasionally trapped, along with natural gas, in reservoirs below the ground. It can therefore be recovered along with some natural gas deposits.
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