Neon (pronounced nee-on)
In chemistry, a rare, colorless, odorless gaseous element; an inert gas (the second in the noble group) occurring in trace amounts in the
atmosphere. It glows reddish orange when
electricity passes through it, as in a tube in an electric neon light, hence the
industrial use in illuminated signs & lights although it’s used also in
refrigeration because of the helpfully low melting & boiling points.
(2) A neon lamp, tube or device, in the singular or
collectively; made of or formed by a neon lamp or lamps.
(3) A sign or advertising display formed from (or
emulating) neon lamps.
(4) Of, relating to, or characteristic of an urban area
brightly lit during hours of darkness and often associated with popular forms
of entertainment.
(5) As in the phrase “in neon”, or “in neon lights”,
adding emphasis to something (sometimes used derisively).
(6) Any of a range of bright, lurid colors, used
particularly in fashion (lipsticks, nail polish etc) and as hair color
products.
(7) As neon tetra (Paracheirodon innesi), a freshwater
fish of the characin family (family Characidae) of order Characiformes, native
to the Amazon basin in South America. Because
of its vivid coloring and robustness, the neon tetra is one of the most popular
tropical fish in home aquariums.
1898: From the Ancient Greek νέον (néon), neuter of νέος (néos)
(new; young), from the earlier νέϝος (néwos), from the Proto-Hellenic newos,
from the primitive Indo-European néwos. From the same source, English (and other
languages gained the prefix –neo which was often used to form clade or
taxonomic names indicating more recent branching than a morphologically or
otherwise similar group. The prefix neo-
was from the Ancient Greek prefix νεο- (neo-),
from νέος (néos) (new, young). In organic chemistry it (1) had the specific
technical meaning “having a structure, similar to that of neopentane, in which
each hydrogen atom of a methyl group has been replaced by an alkyl group” and
(2) a newly-discovered or synthesized variant of an existing compound. The synonyms (in the sense of something new)
were ceno- & nov-, the less used antonym paleo-. Many words have been prefixed with neo- and
not exclusively to indicate something wholly novel but increasingly to describe
a revival or new variation of something including (1) in architecture: neo-classical,
neo-gothic etc, (2) in economics: neo-liberal, neo-Keynesian etc, (3) in politics:
neo-Nazi, neo-conservative, neo-fascist etc and (4) in religion: neo-evangelicalism,
neo-Hasidism etc. In chemistry, the
meaning is quite specific but in general use the synonyms include blazing,
brilliant, glowing, lambent, luminous, radiant, shining, vivid, flashing,
glitzy, glossy, razzle-dazzle, effulgent & gleaming. Neon is a noun & adjective; the noun
plural is neons.
Neon
Symbol: Ne.
Atomic number: 10.
Atomic weight: 20.1797.
Valency: 0.
Density: 0.899 90 kg/m³ / 0.9002 gm/liter at 0°C &
760 mm pressure.
Melting point: –248.59°C.
Boiling point: –246.08°C.
Although in the United States it’s possible for citizens (in some cases children) lawfully to purchase military-grade firearms and some truly impressive ordinance, in other fields the government is punctilious in providing people protection. In 2012, Douglas Schoon (b 1954), Creative Nail Design (CND)’s chief scientific advisor, explained that in the US, the manufacture of neon nail-polish was unlawful, although, in what seemed a quirk of the law, the products remain lawful to wear. However, that apparent anomaly isn’t actually strange or unique to neon nail-polish and reflects a regulatory environment where the need is to certify the safety of both the components and the processes used in the manufacturing process. There are no concerns about the safety of the finished product, the skin and nails anyway a most effective barrier and the nature and volume of fumes breathed in by consumers “doing their nails” substantively identical to that of other nail-polishes.
Neon polishes are prohibited simply because the colorants have never been officially registered with the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Mr Schoon explained that “…what determines whether a color is neon is the chemical composition, just as it is with blues and greens”, adding that that any manufacturer could submit neon shades to the FDA, but it’s a costly and time-consuming process which is why many of the lurid shades available in the US, technically, are not neons. Registration is only the first step in securing FDA approval and few small-scale manufacturers have the resources to go through a process from which others would gain equal benefit. Imported neon polishes appear on many shelves but it’s not known if unlawful, small-scale manufacturing is being undertaken somewhere in the US.
Actor Lindsay Lohan (b 1986, left) in neon clothing and singer-songwriter Billie Eilish (b 2001, right) with neon highlights. Ms Eilish has since gone blonde, the result thought most pleasing.
As an adjective used of colors, neon refers to the
quality of brightness rather than the red-orange colour which is the particular
property of neon gas under electrical stimulation. Thus, a “neon color” (or simply “neon”) is
anything bright, lurid and used in clothing, accessories & enhancements (lipsticks,
nail polish etc) or hair color products.
Neon was discovered in 1898 by British chemists Sir William Ramsay (1852–1916) and Morris Travers (1872–1961) while working in their London laboratory during a series of experiments which also uncovered krypton & xenon, the other two residual rare inert elements remaining in dry air after nitrogen, oxygen, argon and carbon dioxide are removed. A gas colorless, odorless and inert monatomic gas in normal circumstances, it has about two-thirds the density of air and is noted for its emission in the spectrum of bright red when exposed to electrical current. Although one of the known universe’s most common elements (fifth behind hydrogen, helium, oxygen and carbon), it’s rare on Earth, existing only in trace amounts in the atmosphere, attributable to it being highly volatile and thus never forming compounds which assume any solidity.
It needs thus to be extracted from air by an industrial process so is relatively expensive, its industrial uses limited to some specialized applications in refrigeration (by virtue of its low melting & boiling points) and the famous “neon lights” most associated with advertising and signage, the first of which was released in 1913, the term “neon sign” dating from 1927. The distinctive bright red (tending to orange) light distinguished the first neon signs (created with curved neon-tubes) and in the narrow technical sense these are the only true “neon-lights” because tubes which generate other colors are made using either other noble gases or are instances of fluorescent lighting. In hidden use, neon is also a component of various electrical devices including vacuum & wave tubes, current indicators and lightning arresters.
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