C3.08 Uses and properties of noble gases
Story C3.08.1 What not to use in airships
| Noble Gas | Uses | Property |
| Argon | Light bulbs | Doesn’t react with the metal filament |
| Helium | Used with O2 for deep sea dives | Low solubility of helium in the blood. |
| Helium | To inflate the tyres of large aircraft | Non-flammable |
| Helium | To fill airships and weather balloons | Low density, does not burn |
| Neon | In advertising signs because it glows red when electricity passes | Conductor of electricity at high voltage |
| Krypton/Xenon | In lamps used in photographic flash units, in stroboscopic lamps used in lighthouses | Gives out a lot of light when electricity passes through |
C3.09 Monatomic nature of noble gases
Noble gases are monatomic. This means they exist
only as single atoms. Their atoms cannot combine with other atoms because
in their electronic structure, the outer shell is always full and this
makes noble gases unreactive.