ElementsWhat is neon?
Neon is a gas that does not react with anything. Tiny amounts are present in air, and it is collected when air is made liquid and separated.
What is neon used for?
Bright orange-red advertising signs, high-voltage indicators, some lasers, and very cold refrigeration.
Where the name comes from
From the Greek word neos, meaning new.
Key facts
- Symbol
- Ne
- Atomic number
- 10
- Atomic mass
- 20.180 u
- Family
- Noble gas
- Period
- 2
- Group
- 18
- Block
- p
- State at room temperature
- Gas
- Melting point
- -248.6 °C (24.56 K, -415 °F)
- Boiling point
- -246.1 °C (27.07 K, -411 °F)
- Density
- 0.0008999 g/cm³ (as a gas at 0 °C)
- Electrons per shell
- 2, 8
- Electron configuration
- [He]2s2 2p6
- Common oxidation states
- 0
- Electronegativity (Pauling)
- no value
- First ionisation energy
- 21.565 eV
- Electron affinity
- no value
- Atomic radius (van der Waals)
- 154 pm
- Discovered
- 1898
Place in the periodic table
Neon is element number 10. It sits in period 2 (row 2) of the periodic table, in group 18 (column 18), and belongs to the p-block. Just before it comes fluorine (9), and just after it comes sodium (11). In the same column, helium is above it and argon is below it. Elements in one column tend to behave alike.
Family: Noble gases.
Physical properties
At room temperature neon is a gas. It melts at -248.6 °C and boils at -246.1 °C, so it stays liquid over a range of 3 degrees. One litre of the gas weighs about 0.9 grams at 0 °C and normal pressure. That is lighter than air, which weighs about 1.29 grams a litre. It has the 3rd lowest melting point of all elements.
Inside the atom
An atom of neon has 10 protons in its nucleus and, when neutral, 10 electrons around it. The electrons are arranged in 2 shells: 2, 8. The outermost shell holds 8 electrons. Written in full, the electron configuration is [He]2s2 2p6.
Removing one electron from an atom takes 21.565 electronvolts (about 2,081 kilojoules per mole). One mole of neon weighs 20.180 grams, so a single gram contains about 2.98 × 1022 atoms.
The ring picture is a simple model that only counts the electrons in each shell. Real atoms do not look like this.
Next steps
- Work out the weight of a compound that contains neon with the molar mass calculator.
- Compare it with every other element in the sortable list.
- Test yourself with the symbol quiz.
Figures on this page are from PubChem (U.S. National Library of Medicine), as downloaded on 11 November 2026. See About and data sources.