Manufacturers purify argon by first cooling air until it's liquid, then boiling the liquid air and separating it into its components through a process called fractional distillation. This same process produces liquid nitrogen and oxygen, so argon is essentially a byproduct of their manufacture.
When metal is welded, it's heated to very high temperatures; if left unprotected, it could react with oxygen in the surrounding air. Shield gases protect the metal during welding to keep it from being oxidized. Argon is highly inert, meaning it doesn't react with other chemicals, so it's an effective shield gas in welding.
Its inert nature also makes argon very useful for production of titanium and other reactive materials like silicon, since these tend to oxidize rapidly if not protected from the surrounding air. Incandescent light bulbs typically contain argon since this inert gas will not react with the filament even at very high temperatures. Some double-paned glass windows employ argon as an insulator between the two panes of glass since it's a very poor conductor of heat.
Thanks to its nonreactive properties and its value as an insulator, argon is sometimes also used to inflate dry suits for scuba diving.
Scientists studying Earth's climate need to reconstruct how the planet's climate has changed over the millennia to get a better sense of future trends. Ice cores are a valuable tool for this kind of research.
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Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph. Chemistry Expert. Helmenstine holds a Ph. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels. Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter. Updated October 02, Featured Video. It provides a measure of how difficult it is to extend a material, with a value given by the ratio of tensile strength to tensile strain. A measure of how difficult it is to deform a material. It is given by the ratio of the shear stress to the shear strain.
A measure of how difficult it is to compress a substance. It is given by the ratio of the pressure on a body to the fractional decrease in volume. A measure of the propensity of a substance to evaporate. It is defined as the equilibrium pressure exerted by the gas produced above a substance in a closed system. This Site has been carefully prepared for your visit, and we ask you to honour and agree to the following terms and conditions when using this Site.
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Jump to main content. Periodic Table. Glossary Allotropes Some elements exist in several different structural forms, called allotropes. Allotropes -. Glossary Group A vertical column in the periodic table. Fact box. Glossary Image explanation Murray Robertson is the artist behind the images which make up Visual Elements. Appearance The description of the element in its natural form.
Biological role The role of the element in humans, animals and plants. Natural abundance Where the element is most commonly found in nature, and how it is sourced commercially. Uses and properties. Image explanation. The image reflects the use of the element in the welding industry. Argon provides an inert atmosphere in which welded metals will not oxidise. Argon is a colourless, odourless gas that is totally inert to other substances.
Argon is often used when an inert atmosphere is needed. It is used in this way for the production of titanium and other reactive elements. It is also used by welders to protect the weld area and in incandescent light bulbs to stop oxygen from corroding the filament.
Argon is used in fluorescent tubes and low-energy light bulbs. A low-energy light bulb often contains argon gas and mercury. When it is switched on an electric discharge passes through the gas, generating UV light. The coating on the inside surface of the bulb is activated by the UV light and it glows brightly.
Double-glazed windows use argon to fill the space between the panes. The tyres of luxury cars can contain argon to protect the rubber and reduce road noise. Biological role. Natural abundance. Argon makes up 0. Levels have gradually increased since the Earth was formed because radioactive potassium turns into argon as it decays. Argon is obtained commercially by the distillation of liquid air. Help text not available for this section currently. Elements and Periodic Table History. Argon was discovered as a result of trying to explain why the density of nitrogen extracted from air differed from that obtained by the decomposition of ammonia.
Ramsay removed all the nitrogen from the gas he had extracted from air, and did this by reacting it with hot magnesium, forming the solid magnesium nitride. He was then left with a gas that would not react and when he examined its spectrum he saw new groups of red and green lines, confirming that it was a new element. Atomic data. Glossary Common oxidation states The oxidation state of an atom is a measure of the degree of oxidation of an atom.
Oxidation states and isotopes. Glossary Data for this section been provided by the British Geological Survey. Relative supply risk An integrated supply risk index from 1 very low risk to 10 very high risk.
Recycling rate The percentage of a commodity which is recycled. Substitutability The availability of suitable substitutes for a given commodity. Reserve distribution The percentage of the world reserves located in the country with the largest reserves. Political stability of top producer A percentile rank for the political stability of the top producing country, derived from World Bank governance indicators.
Political stability of top reserve holder A percentile rank for the political stability of the country with the largest reserves, derived from World Bank governance indicators. Supply risk. Relative supply risk Unknown Crustal abundance ppm 3.
Young's modulus A measure of the stiffness of a substance. Shear modulus A measure of how difficult it is to deform a material. Bulk modulus A measure of how difficult it is to compress a substance.
Vapour pressure A measure of the propensity of a substance to evaporate. Pressure and temperature data — advanced. Listen to Argon Podcast Transcript :. You're listening to Chemistry in its element brought to you by Chemistry World , the magazine of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Hello, this week the element that's so indolent that scientists at one time thought it wouldn't react with anything, but in the chemical world laziness can have its advantages especially if it's super quiet car tyres or a safe chemical with which to pump up your diving suit that you're after.
Argon's name comes from the Greek word argos meaning lazy and indeed for more than a hundred years after its discovery chemists were unable to get it to combine with any other elements. They made it by condensing a mixture of argon and hydrogen fluoride on to caesium iodide at o C and exposing it to UV light.
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