Argon was suspected to be present in air by Henry Cavendish in 1785 but wasn’t discovered until 1894 by Lord Rayleigh and Sir William Ramsay.
Argon is the third noble gas, in period 8, and it makes up about 1% of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Argon has approximately the same solubility as oxygen and it is 2.5 times as soluble in water as nitrogen . This chemically inert element is colorless and odorless in both its liquid and gaseous forms. It is not found in any compounds.
This gas is isolated through liquid air fractionation since the atmosphere contains only 0.94% argon. The Martian atmosphere in contrast contains 1.6% of Ar-40 and 5 ppm Ar-36. World production exceeds 750.000 tonnes per year, the supply is virtually inexhaustible.
Argon, which has the chemical symbol Ar, is the third most common gas in the Earth’s atmosphere after nitrogen and oxygen. Here are some of the more common uses of argon in the world today!
Uses of Argon
- Argon gas is used in graphite electric burners to prevent the graphite from burning. The graphite would burn in normal air with oxygen present.
- Crystals of silicon and germanium are grown in the presence of argon.
- Argon is used to kill pigs humanely if there is an outbreak of some disease on the farm.
- Occasionally, argon is used to put out fires when it is vital that equipment is not damaged.
- Argon, in liquid form, is used by scientists to look for dark matter.
- Argon can be used to preserve paint, varnish and similar things for storage after opening.
- The American National Archives use argon to store important national documents (like the Declaration of Independence). This prevents the documents being destroyed by the air.
- In the science laboratory, argon is often used as a carrier gas in gas chromatography.
- While there are some risks, liquefied argon can be used to kill cancer cells in a procedure called ‘argon enhanced coagulation’.
- Blue argon lasers are used in surgery to weld arteries and correct eye problems.
- Speaking of blue, blue laser lights are made with argon.
- Lights are filled with argon to prevent the filament from reacting with air.
- Scuba divers use argon to inflate a dry suit.