Argon is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that makes up nearly 1% of the Earth’s atmosphere. It is a noble gas that is relatively unreactive and has numerous industrial uses. It was discovered in 1894 by Sir William Ramsay and Lord Rayleigh, who were later awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work on noble gases. Argon is extracted through the process of fractional distillation and is used in lighting, arc welding, and fire extinguishers.
Argon is a gaseous chemical element that makes up nearly 1% of the Earth’s atmosphere. It is generally considered the most abundant of the noble gases, and is sometimes used to replace other noble gases in situations where an inert gas is needed. The relatively unreactive gas has numerous industrial uses, and its isotopes are also used in radiocarbon dating of very ancient artifacts. Consumers may interact with this gas from time to time, mostly indirectly.
Like other noble gases, such as helium, neon and krypton, argon was initially believed to be totally inert. Indeed, it will react under certain situations, forming compounds, but is remarkably stable otherwise. This gas is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, and in its pure form it is non-toxic, although the gas can act as an asphyxiant if it displaces oxygen in a room. On the periodic table of elements, argon is identified by the symbol Ar and the gas has atomic number 18.
This gas was discovered in 1894 by Sir William Ramsay and Lord Rayleigh. The men had previously noted that a sample of nitrogen from the air appeared to be heavier than nitrogen extracted from other sources and had theorized that the nitrogen might actually be mixed with other gases. Experimentation proved this theory correct, and they named the gas they discovered argon, after the Greek name argos, or “slazy,” in reference to the low reactivity of the gas.
Later, it was realized that the sample of air they had given this name was actually a sample of several noble gases. Ramsay managed to extract pure argon later. He also researched other noble gases, confirming the findings of other scientists and making some new discoveries on his own. In 1904, both Ramsay and Rayleigh were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work on noble gases.
Commercially, this element is extracted through the process of fractional distillation, which involves cooling the air until it liquefies and then heating it, forcing the separated gases to precipitate. Argon is usually relatively cheap, as it is a by-product of the large oxygen and nitrogen market. It is frequently used in lighting, often in combination with other noble gases, and is also used to create a shield for arc welding. Electronics companies also use it in their fire extinguishers, as the gas can put out a fire without damaging equipment.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
