Elements of group VIII A

The Noble or Inert Gases

A vial of glowing Ultrapure He
About 20% of the visible matter in the universe is helium, but because it is so
light and doesn't react chemically with anything, it escaped from Earth into
space, when the solar system was young. So now it is quite rare here.
Nonetheless it has multiple applications, from making balloons fly to
cooling things to extremely low temperatures with liquid helium.
Helium 4 nuclei are emitted at radioactive α-decays, this is the only
reason why we have helium on Earth. Once it is in the air, it ascents to the
uppermost layers of the atmosphere.
The Sun (helium accounts for about 24% of its mass) in ultraviolet light, which is emitted by
ionized helium atoms.

Helium was discovered in the Sun first, before it was found on Earth.
This is how you can make gases glow
Neon is very rare on earth, but quite
abundant in space.
It is about one third lighter than air and is the
most noble, inert element.
No neon compound could be produced so far.
It is mainly used for light sources, as it glows in
a characteristic reddish-orange light.
Our air consists to 1% of Argon, which makes
it an abundant element in our direct vicinity.
Therefore it is the cheapest and most frequently
used noble gas, which comes into operation,
when an inert atmosphere is needed.
The noble gas krypton is very rare on earth,
but much more abundant in space. It has some use
in laser technology and in lamps, where it makes a
bright, white light.

The radioactive 85Kr, which has a

half-life of just under eleven years,
is blown into the air by nuclear
reprocessing plants in precarious
amounts.
Xenon is the most heavy and reactive noble gas
(except for the radioactive radon) and is the rarest
non-radioactive element on earth. Therefore it is
very expensive. It is primarily used in lamps, like in
automobile headlights. Several xenon compounds
are known, some of them are even quite stable.
The compound first to
be discovered was
xenon tetrafluoride,
XeF4, in 1962.

The first xenon

tetrafluoride
crystals
Radon is said to glow red in discharge tubes, although it practically is never used
for this, due to its strong radioactivity.

Radon, with a half life of less than four days,

is a highly radioactive noble gas. For this it is
rather abundant, because it is formed from
the decay of radium. Being much more heavy
than air, it stays on the ground and can
concentrate in poorly ventilated buildings
that are build on radium-rich undergrounds,
like granite. In this case, the radon
contamination can become dangerous,
whereas normal concentrations are
considered to be safe. Dangerously high
values often occur at the mining of uranium.
Radon decays further to polonium.