Argon

Element Name: Argon
Atomic Number: 18
Atomic Mass: 39.948
Atomic Symbol: Ar
Melting Point: -189.35° C
Boiling Point: -185.85° C

Argon is a colorless, odorless, inert gas. It is also nontoxic and nonflammable. As a member of the noble gases, it will not make compounds under normal conditions. It also has a low thermal conductivity can be ionized (which is good for certain uses).The word argon comes from the Greek word “Argos”, which would translate to ‘lazy’ or ‘inactive’. Argon exists in 18 isotopes, only three of which are stable. It is incorrect to say it forms no compounds, but the compounds it does form tend to be stable at extremely low temperatures and pressures. When placed in a tube and excited by electricity will create a vibrant sky-blue light.

Interesting Facts:

The majority of Argon on earth, Argon-40 is the decay product of the radioactive Potassium-40. While a majority on earth, Argon-40 is the rarest of the three natural isotopes in the universe. In 1894 William Ramsey was trying to solve the mystery of “heavy nitrogen” from the atmosphere and found all the noble gases except radon. Argon has changed its atomic symbol. Before 1957 it was denoted as “A”. Argon is undergoing research to be used in the treatment of brain injuries. The mechanism is unclear, but argon reduces the death of brain cells in the case of traumatic head injuries and oxygen deprivation by 15-25%. The United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are both stored under argon. Liquid argon is used in neutrino experiments and the search for dark matter. As a noble gas it has a high scintillation light yield and is transparent to its own light, meaning that any effects dark matter has on argon’s electrons should be easy to detect.

Sources:

Argon is found naturally in air at 0.934% by volume (1.288% by mass). It is usually produced as a by-product of making liquid nitrogen and liquid oxygen. Both of these products are in high demand, making argon fairly cheap. The three elements are separated by fractional distillation, that is to say they’re sorted by their boiling points in a cryogenic chamber. Approximately 700,000 tons are produced worldwide in 2014 alone, and at its normal density that would equate to roughly 4.23 * 108 m3

Industrial Uses:

Despite having no compounds argon still sees widespread use. Much like nitrogen, argon is used in processes that require an inert atmosphere (to prevent combustion or contaminants). The distinction between the two is that argon is less reactive, especially at extremely high temperatures. Other noble gases would fit this same role, but none of them are as plentiful or cheap as argon. There are many examples in industry and research where argon is used. It is used as a shielding gas in high temperature operations such as arc welding because it will not react and has excellent thermal properties. In the laboratory, argon is used in gloveboxes and is the preferred plasma in ICP spectroscopy. Argon’s most destructive use is to asphyxiate birds to cull out a disease or to slaughter for food. It is considered more humane than the electric bath, and it has the added bonus of helping to preserve the poultry without contamination.

References:

“Argon.” Chemicool Periodic Table. Chemicool.com, 15 Oct. 2012. Web. 26 July
2016.
“Argon.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 26 July 2016.
“Facts About Argon.” Livescience. Livescience.com, 20 Feb. 2015. Web. 26 July 2016.
Gray, Theodore W., and Nick Mann. The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every
Known Atom in the Universe. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal, 2009. Print.