Neon

Neon • Noble Gases

Primary XPS region: Ne1s
Overlapping regions: F KLL
Binding energies of common chemical states:

Chemical state	Binding energy Ne1s
Implanted Ne	861.9 eV

Experimental information

Ne is a gas and is not commonly found in XPS spectra.
- It may be observed as implanted atoms, if a material has been subjected to ion bombardment using Ne gas instead of the more usual Ar gas.

Interpretation of XPS spectra

N/A

About this element

Symbol: Ne
Date of discovery: 1898
Name origin: Greek neon
Appearance: colorless
Discoverer: Sir William Ramsay, Morris T. Travers
Obtained from: extracted from air

Melting point: -248.6 K
Boiling point: -246.1 K
Density[kg/m³]: unknown
Molar volume: 13.23 × 10^-6 m³/mol
Protons/Electrons: 10
Neutrons: 10
Shell structure: 2,8
Electron configuration: [He]2s22p6
Oxidation state: unknown
Crystal structure: cubic

Neon was discovered through the study of liquefied air by British chemists Sir William Ramsay and Morris M. Travers. A very common element throughout the universe, only 0.0018% of the earth’s atmosphere is neon. When ionized in a glass tube, neon emits a red light. This effect accounts for neon’s largest use in advertising lighting. Neon is also used to make high voltage indicators and is combined with helium to make helium-neon lasers. Liquid neon is used as a cryogenic refrigerant. Neon is highly inert and forms no known compounds, although there is some evidence that it could form a compound with flourine.