Skip to content
Skip to main content
header search
ahihi OpenLearn
OpenLearn
Menu
sticky search
Author: Peter Taylor
  • Video
  • 5 minutes

Noble gases

Updated Friday, 30 August 2019
What happens when you put noble gases, some balloons and a rooftop together? Watch what happens...

This page was published over 5 years ago. Please be aware that due to the passage of time, the information provided on this page may be out of date or otherwise inaccurate, and any views or opinions expressed may no longer be relevant. Some technical elements such as audio-visual and interactive media may no longer work. For more detail, see how we deal with older content.

This content is associated with The Open University Chemistry qualification.


Here are five of the six noble gases: helium, neon, argon, kypton and xeon. They're all colourless and transparent. Krypton and xeon form compounds only with difficulty. Helium, neon and argon don't form compounds at all.

As we descend the group in the periodic table the atomic number and relative atomic mass increases. The gasses get denser.

Helium - helium is lighter than air. Neon is just lighter. Argon and krypton - I've just got to unstick these from the anchorage... Argon and krypton are both heavier than air. And xeon, xeon is the heaviest of the lot, you've heard of a lead balloon, well this is it.

 

Study a free Science course

  • The science of nuclear energy

    The science of nuclear energy

    This free course, The science of nuclear energy, will delve into the science behind nuclear power and explain what happens inside a nuclear reactor and what it means for an element to be radioactive. It will explore some of the risks of producing nuclear power and examine the arguments for and against including it in future energy planning as ...

    Learn more to access more details of The science of nuclear energy
  • Ethics in science?

    Ethics in science?

    This free course, Ethics in science? discusses how scientists have a moral and ethical responsibility to consider whether they should carry out an experiment. In this short course you will learn of the first clinical trials undertaken for scurvy and small pox and gain an understanding of how much more rigorous today’s clinical trials are. You ...

    Learn more to access more details of Ethics in science?
  • Assessing contemporary science

    Assessing contemporary science

    It will explore the ways in which scientific knowledge develops, undergoes peer review and is communicated. The second half of the course will focus more closely on a specific scientific topic – plastics – and give you a chance to practise these skills by considering the topic's social impact, building a glossary of unfamiliar terms, and ...

    Learn more to access more details of Assessing contemporary science
 

Become an OU student

Author

Ratings & Comments

Share this free course

Copyright information

Skip Rate and Review

For further information, take a look at our frequently asked questions which may give you the support you need.

Have a question?