This chemical element is a noble, inert and colorless gas. It constitutes 1% of the air in the atmosphere. Its symbol on the periodic table is Ar, its atomic number is 18, and its molecular weight is 39.95 g/mol. Argon
To obtain argon, it is necessary to carry out a fractional distillation process of the liquefied air and subsequently eliminate the residual oxygen. In respect of its name comes from the word Greek argon, which means inactive, because it is a gas that does not react in the presence of other substances.
Argon was first isolated in the late 19th century
In the late eighteenth century, English chemist Henry Cavendish discovered that air was made up of a tiny bit of a substance less reactive than nitrogen. It is a gas that cannot be dissolved, so this advance was the first step towards the definitive discovery of argon.
Scottish chemist Sir Williams Ramsay (1852-1916) first isolated this gas in 1894, as well as krypton, neon and xenon (he received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1904 for discovering these four noble gases). In the periodic table of the elements, noble or inert gases are located in group 18. They are single-atom gases, colorless and have low chemical reactivity.
Storage and security
It can be stored in cylindrical steel utensils, which have an opening at their end to provide an outlet for the gas. The amount of argon in a cylinder is variable as it depends on temperature , water volume and pressure.
Although it is not a toxic gas, when subjected to high pressure it can cause suffocation (for this reason it is necessary to store it in adequately ventilated areas and that its equipment is well used by its professionals). To avoid any type of accident, argon cylinders must be identified following strict safety standards .
main uses
This gas is used in incandescent lamps or as a replacement for neon in fluorescent lamps (some fluorescent tubes have a mixture of mercury and argon vapor ). It is used in various types of solders to avoid the oxidation process, in the manufacture of single crystals, in the production of titanium and other reactive elements, as well as in the manufacture of semiconductor circuits in the electronics sector. At the same time, it serves in the detection of explosives and as a thermal insulator.
Lastly, this gas is used to manipulate reagents in chemical laboratories.
