Noble Gases

The elements in group 0 are called the noble gases. They belong to the right-hand column in the periodic table. The noble gases are all chemically unreactive which means they are inert. noble gases:

• He - helium,
• Ne - neon,
• Ar - argon,
• Kr - krypton,
• Xe - xenon,
• Rn - radon

The noble gases have the following properties in common:

• they are non-metals they are very unreactive gases
• they are colourless
• they exist as single atoms (they are monatomic)

Uses of the noble gases

• Helium - Used in balloons and airships. It is much less dense than air, so balloons filled with it float upwards.
• Neon - Used in advertising signs. It glows when electricity is passed through it, and different coloured 'neon lights' can be made by coating the inside of the glass tubing with other chemicals.
• Argon - The very thin metal filament inside the bulb would react with oxygen and burn away if the bulb were filled with air instead of argon. As argon is unreactive, it stops the filament burning away.

The video below provides an overview of the Noble Gases

Densities of the noble gases

The noble gases in group 8 of the periodic table are used to demonstrate the impact of density on balloons filled with different gases. A balloon filled with helium rises quickly in air. At the bottom of the group, a balloon filled with xenon falls quickly.