Argon
Ar
Argon's History
Argon was discovered in 1894 in England by Sir William Ramsay and Lord Rayleigh. Argon was discovered in an experiment. Argon was isolated by the examination o the residue collected by removing nitrogen carbon dioxide, and water from clean air.
Argon's Physical Properties
The atomic mass is 39.948. The atomic radius is 71 pm. The density is 1.784 g/l. The melting point is -189.34 degrees Celsius. The boiling point is -185.848 degrees Celsius. At room temperature argon is a gas. The appearance of argon is colorless and exhibits a violet glow when placed in a high voltage electric field. Argon is inert and has low thermal conductivity. Argon is a gas therefore it is not malleable and does not go on the hardness scale. Argon is colorless, odorless, tasteless and nontoxic.
Argon's Chemical Properties
Argon is non-flammable and is very non-reactive.
Argon's Atomic Structure
The atomic number is 18. The mass number is 39.948. The number of protons is 18. The number of neutrons is 22. The number of electrons is 18. In relation to the Periodic Table argon is on the very right side with the other noble gases.
Argon's Applications & Uses
Argon is most commonly used in fluorescent light bulbs. Argon makes up a little over one percent of our atmosphere. The isotopes of argon are 36Ar, 38Ar, and 40Ar. No compounds of argon have been produced.
Fun Facts about Argon
The name argon comes from the Greek word "argos" meaning "lazy" or "inactive". Interestingly I found on one source that argon could one day be used to limit brain damage after traumatic injuries or oxygen deprivation.