Atomic number 10
Neon
Noble gas
In the real world
Quick facts
- Atomic mass
- 20.180
- Group
- 18
- Period
- 2
- State (STP)
- gas
- Electronegativity
- –
- Common ox. states
- 0
Properties
Electron configuration
[He] 2s² 2p⁶
- Ionization energy
- 2080.7 kJ/mol
- Electron affinity
- -120.0 kJ/mol
- Melting point
- 24.56 K (-248.6 °C)
- Boiling point
- 27.10 K (-246.0 °C)
How dangerous is it?
1/5 · Low risk
A chemically inert, non-toxic gas. Neon does not react with anything, which is exactly why it glows so reliably in signs. Its only caution is crowding out air in a sealed space.
- AsphyxiantImmediate
It is not poisonous; like any inert gas it can push oxygen out of a closed, unventilated space. (only a risk in a confined, unventilated space)
Used with ventilation; sealed spaces are checked with an oxygen monitor.
How it bonds
Neon has a full 2s² 2p⁶ outer shell - the textbook closed octet. It forms no stable compounds. The "octet rule" is named after this configuration.
Where you meet it
- Periodic Quest challengeunlock card
