Argon Facts
Argon Facts
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| Interesting Argon Facts: |
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| Argon is the third most prevalent gas in the Earth's atmosphere, found at 9,300 parts per million. |
| It makes up 1.28% of the Earth's atmosphere. |
| It was the first noble gas to be discovered. |
| Argon is a colorless, odorless, and non-toxic material in all three of its states. |
| Even though it is not poisonous, it can still cause suffocation because it displaces air due to its high density. |
| Argon is 38% denser than air, so it remains close to the ground when used. |
| It is almost 24 times as common as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and more than 500 times are common as neon. |
| Argon's most common isotope, Ar-40, became a part of the Earth's atmosphere after K-40, a radioactive isotope of potassium, decayed from the Earth's crust. |
| The eight electrons in the outer shell of Argen mean that it does not form compounds readily. |
| NASA probes have discovered argon in Mercury's atmosphere and on Saturn's moon Titan. |
| Henry Cavendish proposed in 1785 that argon might exist. |
| Lord Rayleigh and Sir William Ramsay actually discovered and named argon in 1894. |
| Their experiment was to remove all of the nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen dioxide from pure air, and isolate the remaining gas. |
| This process is similar to the fractional distillation of air that is used to produce commercial argon today. |
| For this reason, it is used to displace oxygen and to force out moist air. |
| Important documents like the Declaration of Independence are stored in sealed, argon-filled glass cases to prevent decay. |
| Argon has replaced helium for that purpose, as it does not leak as quickly. |
| Incandescent lightbulbs are filled with argon to prevent the filaments from oxidizing. |
| Argon burns blue, so it is used in what is typically referred to as neon lighting. |
| Argon is used to cool the heads of heat-seeking missiles. |
| It creates a very distinctly colored blue-green laser. |
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