If you were asked to identify the three most common gases in Earth’s atmosphere, you’d likely say oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen. If so, you’d be correct. Argon, the third most abundant gas in the atmosphere after nitrogen and oxygen, makes up less than one per cent of the invisible makeup of the atmosphere. Their chemistry makes them standoffish and even superior, thus the appellation “noble gases.” Since they don’t combine with any other elements, they don’t contribute to forming compounds. On the contrary, this propensity makes these gases useful for specialised applications in industry. Argon gas, for instance, has five critical applications: as an insulator in metal production, as a welding gas, in 3-D printing, and neon lighting.
Lighting Using Neon Tubes
To make neon lights, noble gases come in helpful, as was said. In addition to neon and krypton, argon is used for this function. Argon gas’s outermost circling electrons are momentarily excited by electrical current, causing them to leap to a higher “shell” and energy level. The electron releases a photon, a massless packet of light, when it returns to its average energy level.
Relative Chronology Based On Radioactive Isotopes:
Potassium, or K, the 19th element on the periodic table, may be used in conjunction with argon to determine the age of an item up to a whopping 4 billion years. It goes down as follows: Commonly, potassium contains 19 protons and 21 neutrons, making it almost the same atomic mass as argon (slightly under 40) but with a distinct combination of protons and neutrons. In the presence of a beta-particle, a radioactive particle, one of the protons in the potassium nucleus, may be converted into a neutron, transforming the atom into argon (18 protons, 22 neutrons). It happens exceptionally slowly but at a consistent pace throughout time. Scientists may calculate the age of a rock by comparing the ratio of argon to potassium, which increases gradually with age, to the ratio that would exist in a “fresh” sample. It is done by analysing the composition of the rock and comparing it to standard reference material.
The phrase “carbon dating,” which is sometimes misused to refer broadly to employing radioactive decay processes to date antique artifacts, does not apply here. Radioisotope dating, of which carbon dating is only one example, is helpful only for items thought to be thousands of years old or older.
Welding Using A Shield Gas:
Welding of speciality alloys and welding of car chassis, mufflers, and other vehicle components need argon. It is a shielding gas because it does not react with the surrounding atmosphere or the welded metals. Instead, it only takes up space and blocks the path of reactive gases like nitrogen and oxygen, which may otherwise trigger further unintended reactions.
As an inert gas, argon may create a heat-treating atmosphere devoid of oxygen and nitrogen. Argon is used in the expanding industry of 3D printing. The gas will protect the metal from oxidation and other reactions during the fast heating and cooling of the printing medium, and it may reduce the stress impact. Argon is versatile enough to be blended with other gases to create custom mixtures.
Conclusion
For the same reason it is employed in welding, argon gas may be substituted for carbon monoxide and other undesirable gases in producing metals. The 18th element on the periodic table is argon, or Ar, the third-lightest of the six noble gases, after helium (atomic number 2) and neon (number 10).