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Argon is an neutral , colorless and inodorous constituent — one of the Noble gas . Used in fluorescent lights and in welding , this factor gets its name from the Grecian Scripture for " lazy , " an homage to how minuscule it reacts to form compounds .
On Earth , the Brobdingnagian bulk of argon is the isotope argon-40 , which arises from the radioactive decay of potassium-40 , accord toChemicool . But in space , argon is made in stars , when a two hydrogen nuclei , or alpha - particles , fuse with silicon-32 . The result is the isotope argon-36 . ( isotope of an component have varying identification number of neutron in the cell nucleus . )
Argon gas is used in arc welding.
Though sluggish , argon is far from rare ; it makes up 0.94 percent of Earth ’s aura , agree to theRoyal Society of Chemistry(RSC ) . By Chemicool ’s calculation , that read to 65 trillion metrical tons — and the number increase over prison term as potassium-40 decays .
Just the facts
According to the Jefferson National Linear Accelerator Laboratory , the dimension of argon are :
Uses for an inert gas
The first hint of argon ’s existence came in 1785 , when British scientist Henry Cavendish reported a ostensibly neutral portion of air , according to the RSC . Cavendish was n’t capable to figure out what this mysterious 1 percentage was ; the breakthrough would come more than a century later , in 1894 . Working at the same time and in communication with Lord Rayleigh ( John William Strutt ) , Scots chemist William Ramsey identified and described the mysterious gasoline . The two shared theNobel Prizein Chemistry in 1904 for the uncovering . Argon led to other eureka minute for Ramsey , as well . While investigating the element , he also discovered atomic number 2 , harmonise to theNobel Prizeorganization . realize that related to elements in all probability survive , he then discover atomic number 10 , kryptonand xenon in quick taking over .
Because argon is inert , it is used in industrial processes that require a non - reactive atmosphere . Examples , allot togas supply company Praxair , include welding specialty alloy and develop semiconductor unit wafers . Argon is also a good nonconductor , so it ’s often pump into deep - sea dive dry suits to keep the diver warm .
Another purpose for argon is in diachronic preservation . The gas pedal is pumped around important document such asa mapping of the worlddating back to 1507 in the Library of Congress , and acopy of the Magna Cartaheld by the U.S. National Archives . Unlike reactive oxygen , the atomic number 18 does n’t degrade the paper or ink on delicate papers .
Who knew?
Current research
For many age , the noble gas xenon has been researched as atreatment for brain injuries . Xenon , however , is expensive , lead researcher to rick to its noble gas first cousin , argon , as a possible option .
The research field is still young , but experiment in cell cultivation and in animals propose that argon could one day be used to throttle brain damage after traumatic injuries or oxygen deprivation . One reviewpublished in the journal Medical Gas Researchin February 2014 found that in most cases , argon discussion subjugate brain prison cell decease by meaning quantity — 15 to 25 percent , say Derek Nowrangi , one of the paper ’s authors and a doctorial student at the Loma Linda University School of Medicine in California .
No one yet see why argon has this effect . mastermind cells communicate with the use of chemicals called neurotransmitters and with neuroreceptors that fit together like lock and key . Most likely , Nowrangi recite Live Science , the gas acts on these neuroreceptors , specifically the NMDA sensory receptor ( which stands for N - methyl - 500 - aspartate for the neurotransmitter it receives ) or the GABA sensory receptor ( which stands for Vasco da Gamma - aminobutyric Zen ) . Somehow , when taken up by these receptors , the argon seems to roleplay to foreclose cellphone from self - destructing in response to brain wrong .
In research , argon gas is either straight applied to cells in a civilization sweetheart that are under tenseness , such as an oxygen- and glucose - deprived environment , or give mixed with oxygen in a facemask for animal studies . Researchers then quantify the number of cells that died with and without argon intervention .
As research on argon blame up , it ’s more likely that human test will begin , Nowrangi suppose . But there are caveats : Some studies find miscellaneous consequence or minus effects to argon handling . In one , Nowrangi said , the mastermind as a whole seemed protected by argon , but damage to one area was really increase with the gas discussion . This could be because the argon did n’t imbue to that part , or because different brain regions have different cell types and cell densities .
" This still needs a lot of research to be actually able to translate into the clinic , " Nowrangi suppose .
Additional resources
