Noble gases have many uses. Some of these are despite them being unreactive and some of them are actually because they are so unreactive.

Soho Field Trip

On a field trip around Soho, attention is drawn to Neon lighting. Noble gases, despite their unreactivity, do have many uses. Among them are the various colours used in Neon lighting.

Exam Tip: Learn the various uses of Noble gases. Note also that the unreactive nature of these gases also helps to explain why they were discovered much later than the majority of other elements in the Periodic Table. (1898 is very recent in element terms).

Exam Question:

• State a use for each of the following Noble gases; Helium, Neon, Argon, Krypton. Explain by reference to their electron formation why the Noble gases did not appear on Mendeleev’s original Periodic Table.

Watch the Soho experiment below courtesy of Sky Learning www.skylearning.co.uk