What is a Noble Gas?
The noble gases, from the German word Edelgas, are a family of nonreactive monoatomic gases found on the far right of the periodic table. Noble gases include helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, radon, and the latest, ununoctium, with an atomic number of 118, only three atoms of which have been observed over the course of experiments running from 2002 – 2005. Helium, the most common noble gas, makes up about 1/4th of all atoms in the universe. Argon is the most common noble gas here on Earth, where it makes up 1% of our atmosphere. Helium is also available in substantial quantities from underground natural gas reserves. In industry, noble gases are used as an inert atmosphere for processes where reactivity with air is a problem. The noble gas argon is often used in light bulbs, where it provides an inert atmosphere for the electrified tungsten filament. Noble gases are often a superior alternative to another gas used to provide a nonreactive atmosphere, hydrogen, because of their lack
The noble gases are the chemical elements in group 18 (old-style Group 0) of the periodic table. This chemical series contains helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, radon, and ununoctium. The noble gases were previously referred to as inert gases, but this term is not strictly accurate because several of them do take part in chemical reactions. Another older term was rare gases, although in fact argon forms a considerable part (0.93% by volume, 1.29% by mass) of the Earth’s atmosphere. The name ‘noble gases’ is an allusion to the similarly unreactive Noble metals, so called due to their preciousness, resistance to corrosion and long association with the aristocracy. 4 the complete article try http://en.wikipedia.
