Noble Gases -
Noble gases are colourless and odourless at STP and are described as non-reactive, due to its full
valence of electrons (ironically, however these elements do occasionally create compounds). They are
commonly used as filler gases in light bulbs.
Helium (He) -
Has the atomic number 2. Is tasteless, odorless, colorless, inert, non-toxic, monatomic gas that heads
the noble gas group in the periodic table.
Neon (Ne) -
Has the atomic number 10. Is a colorless, odorless, inert, monatomic gas under STP.
Argon (Ar) -
Has the atomic number 18. Is the third most common gas in the Earths atmosphere. Is five hundred times
more abundant than neon. Argon makes lighting blue.
Krypton (Kr) -
Has the atomic number 36. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas. Krypton occurs in trace amounts
in the atmosphere. It is often mixed with other rare gases in fluorescent lamps. Krypton can be used
in both photography and lighting.
Xenon (Xe) -
Has the atomic number 54. It is a colorless, heavy, odorless gas that occurs in the Earths atmosphere
in trace amounts. Is not very reactive so it can undergo a few chemical reactions such as the formation
of xenon hexafluoroplatinate which is the first noble gas to be synthesized. Radioactive xenon-135 is
produced from iodine-135 from nuclear fission and acts as the most significant neutron absorber in
nuclear reactors.
Radon (Rn) -
Has the atomic number 86. It is an odorless ,colorless, radioactive, tasteless gas occurring naturally
as an indirect decay product of uranium or thorium.
Ununoctium (Uuo) -
Has the atomic number 118. Ununoctium is currently the only synthetic member of the noble gases. It has
the highest atomic number and highest atomic mass of all the elements so far and is predicted to be solid.