Neon for Kids
NEE-on · Noble gas
I wonder… What makes glowing signs glow?
Neon is a gas that glows bright red-orange when electricity flows through it. It's famous for lighting up signs!
Quick facts
- Atomic number
- 10
- Symbol
- Ne
- Atomic mass
- 20.180
- Type
- Noble gas
- Discovered
- 1898
- Discovered by
- William Ramsay and Morris Travers
- Name means
- “new” (from the Greek word neos)
- At room temperature
- Gas
How neon was discovered
Part 1 of 3
Freezing the air
In 1898 in London, William Ramsay and his helper Morris Travers chilled air until it turned into a liquid. Then they let it warm up slowly and caught each gas as it bubbled away.
Part 2 of 3
A blazing glow
One gas was brand new. When they sent electricity through it in a glass tube, it blazed with red-orange light! Travers wrote that the glow “told its own story.”
Part 3 of 3
A kid names it
Ramsay's 13-year-old son, Willie, wanted to help. He suggested “novum,” which is Latin for “new.” Ramsay liked the idea and used the Greek word for new instead: neon!
What is neon used for?
Glowing signs
In 1910, a French inventor named Georges Claude showed off the first neon lights in Paris. Two years later, he sold the first neon sign to a barbershop.
Lasers
Helium-neon lasers make a red beam. They were used in barcode scanners at store checkouts.
Tiny warning lights
Small neon bulbs glow in some tools and switches to show that electricity is flowing.
Fun facts about neon
What color is real neon?
Real neon only glows red-orange. Signs in other colors use different gases or colored glass.
Does it make friends?
Neon is a noble gas. It almost never joins with other elements. It likes to be alone!
Is it common?
Neon is one of the five most common elements in the universe, but it's rare in the air on Earth.
Inside a neon atom
Neon's outside track is completely full with 8 electrons. That's why it almost never reacts with anything.
Quiz yourself
1. Who came up with the idea for neon's name?
- A 13-year-old boy
- The King of England
- A newspaper
Show the answer
A 13-year-old boy. Ramsay's son Willie suggested a name meaning “new,” and Ramsay turned it into “neon.”
2. What color does real neon glow?
- Blue
- Red-orange
- Green
Show the answer
Red-orange. Real neon only glows red-orange. Other colors come from other gases or colored glass.
Try it at home (with a grown-up): Be a light detective
Grown-up needed! Only do this with a grown-up right next to you, the whole time.
You'll need
- A grown-up helper
- An old CD or DVD
- A few different lights: a lamp, a flashlight, a phone screen
- A dark-ish room
What to do
- Grown-up’s job Set up a lamp that stays cool to touch, like one with an LED bulb.
- Hold the CD shiny side up near the lamp.
- Tilt it until you see a rainbow on the CD.
- Now try a different light. Does the rainbow look the same or different?
- Some lights make smooth rainbows. Others make stripes, missing colors, or bright lines.
- Every glowing gas makes its own special rainbow lines. That's how scientists spotted helium in the Sun, and how Ramsay and Travers knew neon was new!
Safety rules
- Never look at the Sun, even with a CD.
- Never use a laser pointer. It can hurt your eyes.
- Don't touch hot light bulbs.
- Don't bend or break the CD, because the edges can get sharp.
Draw it
Design your own neon sign. What would it say?
Riddle
“When electricity zips through me, I glow bright red-orange. What am I?”
Explore neon with animations, read-aloud and a drawing pad
Open it on Atom a Day →