inert gas

inert gas

inert gas or noble gas, any of the elements in Group 18 of the periodic table . In order of increasing atomic number they are: helium , neon , argon , krypton , xenon , and radon . They are colorless, odorless, tasteless gases and were once believed to be entirely inert, i.e., forming no chemical compounds; however, some compounds of these elements have been produced, i.e., fluorides of krypton, xenon, and radon. The low chemical activity of the inert gases is due to the fact that their outermost, or valence, electron shell is complete, containing two electrons in the case of helium and eight in the remaining cases. The inert gases are sometimes called the rare gases, although argon is not rare (it makes up about 1% of the atmosphere) and helium is commercially extracted from natural gas and the atmosphere.

Bibliography: See G. A. Cook, Argon, Helium and the Rare Gases (2 vol., 1961); I. Asimov, The Noble Gases (1966).

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"inert gas." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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inert gas

in·ert gas • n. another term for noble gas.

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"inert gas." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"inert gas." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-inertgas.html

"inert gas." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-inertgas.html

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inert gas

inert gas Another name for a noble gas.

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"inert gas." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"inert gas." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-inertgas.html

"inert gas." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-inertgas.html

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inert gas

inert gas See noble gas

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"inert gas." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"inert gas." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-inertgas.html

"inert gas." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-inertgas.html

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inert gas. (Image by Ahoerstemeier, GFDL)