cpt nordbart Yes also used for nearly all TIG welding. You need it for the inert atmosphere but the voltage at which it ionizes and hence the temperature of the arc is also a consideration. For this reason you sometimes use helium or a mixture of helium and argon to get a hotter arc. For MIG welding steel you usually mix in about 20% carbon dioxide with the argon. I'm unclear what the precise reason is for this.
Nitrogen only becomes 'toxic', or should I say, narcotic, at higher pressure. (e.g. Scuba diving at higher depth). It gives you a pleasant, albeit very dangerous intoxication ;) Quite similar to alcohol really, without the horrible hangover.
I grew up in an extremely cold town in northern Minnesota (it can get to -40 in January) and the main industry in our town is windows and most of them are double glazed (sp?). I always knew they had argon in them for insulation but I never knew exactly why until now. Thanks for the video professor!
I know ALL the elements are done, But please keep them coming. Personally, I could watch or listen for over an hour just on one element. I wish I could have a drink with you Sir Martyn Poliakoff
Hey Periodic Videos, I loved that you showed how violently the argon escapes from the copper coil once it warms up. As a chemistry student my supervisors always told me to be careful to not condense Argon while working under inert conditions and low temperatures, because, as we've seen, it boils very vigorously an can explode your glassware. Now I've finally seen that! Thanks
As a professional glazier, I can verify that the use of Argon gas in windows is absolutely effective as a insulator. Awesome series Gentlemen and ladies. I have enjoyed and look forward to learning more.
Depending on the pressure, yes. Why not? If the pressure if low enough, you could try holding a plasma globe near the window, and observing the color of the glow (if any).
As far as I remember you need quite low pressure for those gas discharge lamps. That might bend the glas panes and break them. But could also be that they are fine with bending a few mm inwards until they touch each other. The other thing is, as soon as there is a discharge path nothing else will light up. So don't expect the whole window to glow.
If you would have electrodes inside the window, yes. But all multi-pane windows i know, have a single strip of metal round the edge. You could, however, ionize the gas with a high voltage, high frequency EM field. You can take out the electronics from a plasma globe, connect the ground terminal to the metal strip, and get the other electrode near the window. I think it would be hard to get it working because of the minute space between the panes.
I use argon, lots of it, daily. A cylinder or two at best. We use it as inert gas for welding (MIG and TIG), or if combined with CO2 as an active gas. (MAG)
@@aparnavellala624 acetylene is used for oxyfuel welding or cutting. Argon is used to shield the weld pool for tig and mig. preventing it from getting defects
I've missed my usual dose of Periodic Videos and Prof Poliakoff; been off getting all Deep Sky, Objectivity, Sixty Symbols and Computerphile'd up. Damn it, we are so lucky to have all these amazing channels as part of our learning - I fail to see a problem
As a neon bender myself, might I add a small note about the color demonstrated with the argon light in this video. Argon does not glow like that on its own. Argon is a nice dim lavender which is difficult to see in a lit room, which is why we typically mix it with mercury gas in order to pair it with double phosphor coated glass (since plain argon will not be bright enough to make the glass glow). To my knowledge, mercury does that to neon as well, and we use it with neon mostly for glass that will be used in a colder environment... or whenever we run out of argon and are too lazy to order more. I haven't tried it with other gasses as we don't usually stock them.
Argon is also sometimes used in dry suits when diving, especially with helium mixes, because of its superior insulating properties compared to air and helium
As a member of a group carrying out experiments with Breathing gasses in a Hyperbaric environment in the early 70's I can vouch for the fact that Argon was very quickly found to cause unpleasant reactions when included in a breathing gas mix. Even Helium can cause problems with the brain's electrical system (HPNS) at elevated pressures/percentages.
One very important use of Argon that I'm surprised you didn't mention is in TIG welding. TIG stands for Tungsten Inert Gas, and the inert gas that is used, the vast majority of the time, is Argon. Its weight is very good at displacing air (as you mentioned) and thus it is perfect to use when you need to create a weld that isn't affected by Oxygen.
Argon is also used to cool the electronics (specifically the seeker heads) of infrared guided missiles. This gives the detectors a much better sensitivity/resolution to temperature differences between the target and the background. This is particularly useful in desert environments during summer where the temperature differences would be much less.
Argon was used in the steel industry for cooling copper molds when making steel. Copper and steel don’t mix or react but the melting point of copper is lower than steel. The argon keeps the copper from melting.
The name argon comes from the Greek for lazy, because it's a heavy gas that just doesn't react much. But it's the most abundant of the inert (unreactive) gases after helium, and it's put to work in many ways. It's idleness makes it perfect for adding to light bulbs to stop the elements from burning out. It's used in between glass panes in double glazing and in steelmaking to stop ingredients from oxidizing. It makes brilliant blue lights!
Argon is used for industrial gas shielded welding because, as the video said, it is very good at dissipating other gases and the fact that unlike Nitrogen, they don't react with most elements at high heat.
Not only do the (relatively heavy) atoms of Argon move more slowly than, for example N2, but, because energy increases as the square of velocity, they transfer less of it with each traversal between the panes of double-pane glass. Challenge: create foamed glass from molten glass and pressurized Argon.
Translucent to opaque, depending upon the thickness. It wouldn't be useful for windows, but could be a more inert and more durable replacement for rigid plastic foam insulation.
Also, Argon has only about half the heat capacity of air (by mass). So a given mass of argon will contain only about half the amount of heat. I imagine that's a factor in its low thermal conductivity. Its heat capacity is lower because it has no rotational degrees of freedom, unlike oxygen and nitrogen.
I often see argon gas used in welding. Also, it is used in the food industry to package products such produce and meats to prevent oxidation. If you buy a bag of chips (or crisps if you’re British) the gas inside the bag is either argon or nitrogen to prevent oxidization that would ruin the flavor.
I work in the windows industry. Although we fill Insulated glass units completely with argon, when we sell this service, we only claim a 90% fill. The problem is that argon's molecular size is so small that some of it leaks out over time, like helium out of a mylar balloon. Each day as the glass heats up from the sun, the pressure inside the I.G. unit raises slightly and encourages more argon to "vacate the premises". Over the course of several years, the unit will "hourglass" slightly during the cooler portion of the day.
The relatively low thermal conductivity of argon is, in fact, due to two factors. One is its high atomic mass, as stated by the Prof. The other factor is its low heat capacity, owing to it being a mono-atomic species. Thus, it possesses no rotational or vibrational modes, which can "carry" heat.
Fun fact about argon: it's so common in the atmosphere because potassium-40 decays into it, with a half-life of 1.25 billion years. The atmosphere started with very little of it, just like the other noble gases, but it slowly accumulated as the K-40 decayed to Ar-40 (and Ca-40). The K-40 --> Ar-40 decay is the basis of potassium-argon dating.
Anyone else remember The Argon Quest (Blizzard Island?) I loved that movie. I keep forgetting the name of it though, so thanks Martin for making it pop into my head with such a noble passing of gas.
Can you guys please make a video explaining the structure of the atom (with orbitals ,sub-shells and 3D animation of the shape of the the orbitals). I Know that I am asking too much (3D animation of orbitals) ,but again it will be very helpful for everyone who likes physical chemistry. :D
+Litigious Society _I would like to see the structure of each shell as one increases_ [etc.] That _general_ information is fairly easy to find online, but there is a subtle rearrangement of electron configuration which occurs in the coinage metals (Cu, Ag, Au), which lends them their monovalent tendency - and for which nowhere have I ever found an explanation. So, yes - I'd go with your suggestion if it would tell me that. Cheers ;)
+Jack Sainthill - yes, it gets complicated with the d-block (transition) and f-block (lanthanide/actinide) elements because you have to consider the relative stability of the full s-orbital compared to half-filled or completely filled d-orbitals and f-orbitals. In general, d10 s1 is a lower-energy configuration than d9 s2. That means copper, silver and gold have one s-electron and can adopt the +1 oxidation state. (Copper also commonly takes the +2 and gold the +3 state, which involves losing one or two d-electrons.)
I use argon as a shielding gas for TIG welding. The gas prevents the metals from burning in ambient oxygen when bits of them are heated up to some 5500C in the electric arc. Nitrogen cannot do this job because it too burns at those temperatures. One key challenge in TIG welding is to get the electrode and the workpiece reliably immersed in a moving stream of argon. Doing so is subject to many small problems. Central to the difficulty is that every repair or one-time fabrication job takes place in its own unique geometric puzzle. A skilled welder needs years of experience to develop intuition covering most of the situations she is likely to encounter.
At 5:31, the Professor says: "'Argon' apparently comes from the Greek word meaning 'idle'". That does put "Jason and the Argonauts" in a new light: "Jason and his bunch of lazy good-for-nothings". It sounds like what Medea would have called them.
Professor, just one thing: 7:32 - "keeping heat in" (or cold air out) Not a big deal for the practical content, but a lot of difference for us, Physicists hehehe Thank you for the amazing video again, the best Chemistry channel on yt by far
I'm not sure if that would work as glass is pretty terrible at conducting currents. Perhaps you can ionize the Argon atoms by applying a (very) strong electric field quickly (and then turning it off so the electron can recombine - one could just use a strong AC). Or just use fluorescence or something similar.
Since it sounded like you were saying the liquid argon was denser than liquid nitrogen, and the argon freezes at a higher temperature than liquid nitrogen boils, would you get solid argon if you put the coil output drip into some liquid nitrogen?
Wonderful video! I wish you would have over its use as an insert gas in TIG and MIG welding at all. As far as I'm aware that's Argon's main industrial application.
In graduate school I studied the ionization of argon-methanol van der Waals clusters. One of the species we observed was ArH+. Counter ion to the HArF?
The argon (or air) in between the two sheets of glass, shouldn't it be at lower pressure than the atmosphere, so that it could transfer even less heat? Or would that compromise the integrity of the window too much if it was at a different pressure from the air around it?
All right, I have a question. Given that argon is incapable of forming stable compounds, displaces oxygen and is heavier than air, would it be useful to help extend the shelf life of optical discs (CDs, DVDs), by isolating them from oxidative processes?
Where does the Lab purchase these Cylinders of Gases, such as Helium, Nitrogen, Argon, etc.? Are you able to purchase them from a Local Welding Gas Supplier?
What happens if you mix multiple different gasses into one of those noble gas stars? Will the colors combine to make different colors when you put an electric current through it?
[Science -- N. S. Vol. I No. 12. -- March 22, 1895.] ARGON. The plain facts concerning argon are these: For some time past Lord Rayleigh has been engaged on refined work involving the weighing of various gases. Last year he found that the nitrogen obtained from the air is a little heavier than that made from definite chemical compounds. This led him to further experiments and, at the same time, Professor W. Ramsay, of University College, London, also undertook experiments with the object of explaining, if possible, the discrepancy. The general method of work consisted in passing air, first through substances that have the power to remove those constituents that are present in small quantities, such as water vapor, carbonic-acid gas, etc., then through a heated tube containing copper. The oxygen of the air unites with the heated copper, and what has hitherto been regarded as nitrogen remains uncombined. This ‘atmospheric nitrogen’ was subsequently treated in three different ways for the purpose of removing the nitrogen from it. (1) It was drawn through clay pipes in the hope that, if the gas is a mixture, one of the constituents would pass through the porous material more easily than the other, and at least a partial separation be thus effected. While something was accomplished in this way, the experiment was on the whole unsatisfactory. (2) The ‘atmospheric nitrogen’ was mixed with oxygen in a vessel containing caustic alkali, and electric sparks were passed through the mixture. Under these circumstances the oxygen united with nitrogen and formed a compound which is soluble in alkali. After no further absorption of nitrogen could be effected by sparking, any unchanged oxygen present was removed, and there was then found a residue of gas which was certainly not oxygen nor nitrogen. This proved to be the substance about which the world is now talking. In this connection it is of great interest to note that Cavendish, in 1785, probably had this same substance before him free from nitrogen. He performed the experiment above described, and noticed the residue, and says in regard to it: “We may safely conclude that it is not more than 1/120 of the whole.” This is very nearly the truth as regards the relative amount of argon in the air. (3) The most satisfactory method for obtaining the gas on the large scale consists in passing ‘atmosphere nitrogen’ over highly-heated magnesium, which has the power of uniting with nitrogen, while the newly-discovered gas has not this power. But, even by this method, the preparation is very slow, and, up to the present, the gas cannot easily be obtained in large quantity. The new substance is heavier than nitrogen. The density of hydrogen being taken as unity, that of nitrogen is 14, of oxygen 16, and of argon 19.7. Perhaps the most remarkable property of argon is its inertness. It has not been possible thus far to get it to combine with any other substance, so that anything more than a general comparison with known substances is out of the question. It owes its name to its inertness, argon being derived from two Greek words signifying ‘no work.’ A determination of the ratio of the specific heat of argon at constant pressure to that at constant volume was determined by means of observations on the velocity of sound in the gas, and the ratio was found to be 1.66. This is of much importance as showing that the particles of which the gas is made up act as individuals. If this conclusion is correct, it follows further that argon must be either a single element or a mixture of elements, and that, if it is a single element, its atomic weight must be nearly 40, as its density is 19.7 and its atom is identical with its molecule. Professor Crookes has studied the spectra of argon and, in an article giving his results in detail, he says: “I have found no other spectrum-giving gas or vapour yield spectra at all like those of argon.” * * * “As far, therefore, as spectrum work can decide, the verdict must, I think, be that Lord Rayleigh and Professor Ramsay have added one, if not two members to the family of elementary bodies.” Finally, Professor Olszewski, of Cracow, the well-known authority on the liquefaction of gases has succeeded in both liquifying and solidifying argon. It was found to boil at 186.9° C., and to solidify at 189.6° C., forming a mass resembling ice. To quote from Professor Ramsay’s article read before the Royal Society: “There is evidence both for and against the hypothesis that argon is a mixture: For, owing to Mr. Crookes’ observations of the dual character of its spectrum; against, because of Professor Olszewski’s statement that it has a definite melting point, a definite boiling point, and a definite critical temperature and pressure; and because, on compressing the gas in presence of its liquid, pressure remains sensibly constant until all gas has condensed to liquid.” The above is a brief account of all that is known about argon, and it would evidently be premature to indulge in speculation regarding its position in the system. It may as well be said at once that, if it is an element or a mixture of elements, it will apparently be difficult to find a place for it on Mendeléeff’s table. It will be well to await developments before worrying on this account. If the time should ever come when Mendeléeff’s table has to be given up, something better will take its place. The suggestion has been made repeatedly that argon is perhaps an allotropic form of nitrogen. The strongest argument against this view is the established fact that the gas conducts itself as if made up of individual particles, while any allotropic form of nitrogen, which is heavier than this, must, according to all that we know of such matters, consist of more complex molecules than nitrogen itself. IRA REMSEN. JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY.
How do you deal with PPE requirements? I didn't see people wearing breathers. How do you deal with the gas in the air, or is it a trivial matter to restore adequate breathing environment?
When I look out the window I'm looking through argon gas, except for a couple windows that are cracked and the gas has leaked out and nasty oxygen has got in there and reacted with the coatings on the inside of the glass so I can't see out of it very well anymore.
Another use of argon, they fill incandescent light bulbs with it, it will not react with the hot filament and will even slow down significantly the evaporation rate of that filament, thus increasing the lifetime of the bulb.
Argon is used extensively as a sheilding gas in welding.
TheUnnamedGent I know it's used in mig welding. Not sure if Tig welding too.
cpt nordbart Yes also used for nearly all TIG welding. You need it for the inert atmosphere but the voltage at which it ionizes and hence the temperature of the arc is also a consideration. For this reason you sometimes use helium or a mixture of helium and argon to get a hotter arc.
For MIG welding steel you usually mix in about 20% carbon dioxide with the argon. I'm unclear what the precise reason is for this.
TIG welding uses argon, MIG uses a 75/25 Ar/CO2 mix for ferrous metals and Ar alone for non ferrous metals.
Officer KD6-3.7 it still depends with tig, I've seen helium used instead of argon
Drakeblood Assassin You use helium sometimes for thicker pieces of aluminium. It has a higher ionisation potential so you get a hotter arc.
The explanation of why liquid Argon is transparent to infrared light was fascinating! Love the videos. Thank you.
I bet argon is even less toxic than nitrogen.
Rohan Zener Nitrogen is not toxic at all. Most of the air you breath is made of Nitrogen.
Nitrogen only becomes 'toxic', or should I say, narcotic, at higher pressure. (e.g. Scuba diving at higher depth).
It gives you a pleasant, albeit very dangerous intoxication ;) Quite similar to alcohol really, without the horrible hangover.
It's actually very unpleasant, and toxifies by clogging the arteries and capillaries. It's called an embolism.
I heard pure oxygen could indirectly cause cancer. I took it with a grain of sodium chloride
I am surprised he didn't talk about argon being used for TIG welding. Argon is a great gas for shielding when welding to prevent oxidation in steel.
Tbh The Prof. Doesn't look like much of welder...
@@jakebearinger8663 his hair would have burned off long ago
after hearing all that's involved in creating a compound of Argon, I'd say it's still pretty accurate for its name to derive from the Greek for "idle"
I grew up in an extremely cold town in northern Minnesota (it can get to -40 in January) and the main industry in our town is windows and most of them are double glazed (sp?). I always knew they had argon in them for insulation but I never knew exactly why until now. Thanks for the video professor!
I know ALL the elements are done, But please keep them coming.
Personally, I could watch or listen for over an hour just on one element.
I wish I could have a drink with you Sir Martyn Poliakoff
The professor has terrific knowledge
Hey Periodic Videos,
I loved that you showed how violently the argon escapes from the copper coil once it warms up.
As a chemistry student my supervisors always told me to be careful to not condense Argon while working under inert conditions and low temperatures, because, as we've seen, it boils very vigorously an can explode your glassware. Now I've finally seen that!
Thanks
As a professional glazier, I can verify that the use of Argon gas in windows is absolutely effective as a insulator. Awesome series Gentlemen and ladies. I have enjoyed and look forward to learning more.
You know it's a great day when there's a new periodic table video!~
I just had argon windows recently put in and I have to admit they do in fact insulate much better than the other ones we had.
Zeldas Champion can they be refilled?
vacuum ones are better
Your mug looks exactly like the one my daughter bought me on Father's Day because she knew I liked your videos. It's my current favourite.
i would love a video talking about all the books on his shelf!
I need a lamp like that so I can label the switch argon/argoff.
I want that lamp.
I remember my sister had a neon pink playboy bunny lamp like that
I'm wondering if I can connect a neon transformer to my argon-filled windows, and make them glow :)
ForestCat_Peter if u do so. Please post it here.
Depending on the pressure, yes. Why not?
If the pressure if low enough, you could try holding a plasma globe near the window, and observing the color of the glow (if any).
Your windows won't be at vacuum, so no
As far as I remember you need quite low pressure for those gas discharge lamps. That might bend the glas panes and break them. But could also be that they are fine with bending a few mm inwards until they touch each other. The other thing is, as soon as there is a discharge path nothing else will light up. So don't expect the whole window to glow.
If you would have electrodes inside the window, yes. But all multi-pane windows i know, have a single strip of metal round the edge.
You could, however, ionize the gas with a high voltage, high frequency EM field. You can take out the electronics from a plasma globe, connect the ground terminal to the metal strip, and get the other electrode near the window.
I think it would be hard to get it working because of the minute space between the panes.
I want to find love that feels as sweet as this man's love for argon.
Did you just make a video about argon without even mentioning an argon laser!?!?!?!
You DID!
I use argon, lots of it, daily. A cylinder or two at best. We use it as inert gas for welding (MIG and TIG), or if combined with CO2 as an active gas. (MAG)
Usually,instead of argon,acetylene is used;but aron is a better choice!
@@aparnavellala624 acetylene is used for oxyfuel welding or cutting. Argon is used to shield the weld pool for tig and mig. preventing it from getting defects
Your voice reminds me of my grandpa when he used to tell me stories when I was little. Thanks for that.
I've missed my usual dose of Periodic Videos and Prof Poliakoff; been off getting all Deep Sky, Objectivity, Sixty Symbols and Computerphile'd up. Damn it, we are so lucky to have all these amazing channels as part of our learning - I fail to see a problem
Neil is the unsung hero of these videos.
As a neon bender myself, might I add a small note about the color demonstrated with the argon light in this video.
Argon does not glow like that on its own. Argon is a nice dim lavender which is difficult to see in a lit room, which is why we typically mix it with mercury gas in order to pair it with double phosphor coated glass (since plain argon will not be bright enough to make the glass glow). To my knowledge, mercury does that to neon as well, and we use it with neon mostly for glass that will be used in a colder environment... or whenever we run out of argon and are too lazy to order more. I haven't tried it with other gasses as we don't usually stock them.
Thank you for continuing to produce Periodic Videos!
Argon is also sometimes used in dry suits when diving, especially with helium mixes, because of its superior insulating properties compared to air and helium
Argon is also used as Buffer Gas in many UV emitting Mercury LP and MP lamps.
As a member of a group carrying out experiments with Breathing gasses in a Hyperbaric environment in the early 70's I can vouch for the fact that Argon was very quickly found to cause unpleasant reactions when included in a breathing gas mix. Even Helium can cause problems with the brain's electrical system (HPNS) at elevated pressures/percentages.
I always learn new things when they put out a new video, even if theyve done one before they always add new lessons in the redux! Love ya professor!
R3D33M3R; All hail the Brotherhood!
I was going to make a pun about this video, but all the good ones argon :(
You make to seem puns about puns pretty well.
I bet you are *master-baiting* us
I xenon either, non at all.
@@lutfalasker5371 I guess it's called metapun
Ar, so they Ar - or Ar they?
(Yes, probably!)
;)
I don't think you'll get any reactions from this...
One very important use of Argon that I'm surprised you didn't mention is in TIG welding. TIG stands for Tungsten Inert Gas, and the inert gas that is used, the vast majority of the time, is Argon. Its weight is very good at displacing air (as you mentioned) and thus it is perfect to use when you need to create a weld that isn't affected by Oxygen.
That is quite enlightening
0:26 Excellent demonstration of percussive maintenance.
The legend is back
That was a great video! Fairly easy to make it into liquid form.
And protecting welds during welding. Such as TIG and MIG welding.
It's amazing that different gasses shine different colors when electrified! Awesome video
Argon is also used to cool the electronics (specifically the seeker heads) of infrared guided missiles. This gives the detectors a much better sensitivity/resolution to temperature differences between the target and the background. This is particularly useful in desert environments during summer where the temperature differences would be much less.
Argons is also used in Inductively Coupled Plasma techniques (ICP-OES, ICP-MS, etc)
Argon was used in the steel industry for cooling copper molds when making steel. Copper and steel don’t mix or react but the melting point of copper is lower than steel. The argon keeps the copper from melting.
Argon is used to displace air inside bottles of wine and spirits, to keep the drink from oxidizing.
The name argon comes from the Greek for lazy, because it's a heavy gas that just doesn't react much. But it's the most abundant of the inert (unreactive) gases after helium, and it's put to work in many ways. It's idleness makes it perfect for adding to light bulbs to stop the elements from burning out. It's used in between glass panes in double glazing and in steelmaking to stop ingredients from oxidizing. It makes brilliant blue lights!
Argon is used for industrial gas shielded welding because, as the video said, it is very good at dissipating other gases and the fact that unlike Nitrogen, they don't react with most elements at high heat.
Not only do the (relatively heavy) atoms of Argon move more slowly than, for example N2, but, because energy increases as the square of velocity, they transfer less of it with each traversal between the panes of double-pane glass.
Challenge: create foamed glass from molten glass and pressurized Argon.
John Payne would that even be transparent, or would the glass bubbles look opaque?
Translucent to opaque, depending upon the thickness. It wouldn't be useful for windows, but could be a more inert and more durable replacement for rigid plastic foam insulation.
Also, Argon has only about half the heat capacity of air (by mass). So a given mass of argon will contain only about half the amount of heat. I imagine that's a factor in its low thermal conductivity. Its heat capacity is lower because it has no rotational degrees of freedom, unlike oxygen and nitrogen.
I often see argon gas used in welding. Also, it is used in the food industry to package products such produce and meats to prevent oxidation. If you buy a bag of chips (or crisps if you’re British) the gas inside the bag is either argon or nitrogen to prevent oxidization that would ruin the flavor.
Neil is the most chilled laboratory assistant on the planet 😂🤣🙏🙌
Blessings upon you for the help you gave to the work I am doing.
Argon and Oxygen walk into a bar.
The landlord points to the door.
"We don't serve noble gases, get out!"
Argon doesn't react.
Neil content! New Periodic Video! Happy!
So happy this video was made! I was looking for a video on Argon a few weeks ago, this is perfect!
I work in the windows industry. Although we fill Insulated glass units completely with argon, when we sell this service, we only claim a 90% fill. The problem is that argon's molecular size is so small that some of it leaks out over time, like helium out of a mylar balloon. Each day as the glass heats up from the sun, the pressure inside the I.G. unit raises slightly and encourages more argon to "vacate the premises". Over the course of several years, the unit will "hourglass" slightly during the cooler portion of the day.
Argon is the king of noble gases for me, just because argon tubes emit such lovely hues.
More videos with Neil!!! Yay!
Could you do a video on the chemistry of cutting onions and why it makes you cry
The relatively low thermal conductivity of argon is, in fact, due to two factors. One is its high atomic mass, as stated by the Prof. The other factor is its low heat capacity, owing to it being a mono-atomic species. Thus, it possesses no rotational or vibrational modes, which can "carry" heat.
Argon is actually cheaper from some suppliers than N2. All the air-sensitive chemistry the labs I was in was always done with Ar for this reason
Fun fact about argon: it's so common in the atmosphere because potassium-40 decays into it, with a half-life of 1.25 billion years. The atmosphere started with very little of it, just like the other noble gases, but it slowly accumulated as the K-40 decayed to Ar-40 (and Ca-40). The K-40 --> Ar-40 decay is the basis of potassium-argon dating.
I didn't find it at all boring that my double glazing might be full of argon, thank you.
Argon is used in TIG welding all the time - it’s especially important for welding stainless steel and titanium.
Thank yall wow I dig your wisdom
Neil's magical experimental fingers are amazing.
Anyone else remember The Argon Quest (Blizzard Island?) I loved that movie. I keep forgetting the name of it though, so thanks Martin for making it pop into my head with such a noble passing of gas.
Where have you been? Great to see you back.
Can you guys please make a video explaining the structure of the atom (with orbitals ,sub-shells and 3D animation of the shape of the the orbitals).
I Know that I am asking too much (3D animation of orbitals) ,but again it will be very helpful for everyone who likes physical chemistry. :D
harsh prajapati I would like to see the structure of each shell as one increases from each various element.
+Litigious Society
_I would like to see the structure of each shell as one increases_ [etc.]
That _general_ information is fairly easy to find online, but there is a subtle rearrangement of electron configuration which occurs in the coinage metals (Cu, Ag, Au), which lends them their monovalent tendency - and for which nowhere have I ever found an explanation.
So, yes - I'd go with your suggestion if it would tell me that.
Cheers ;)
+Jack Sainthill - yes, it gets complicated with the d-block (transition) and f-block (lanthanide/actinide) elements because you have to consider the relative stability of the full s-orbital compared to half-filled or completely filled d-orbitals and f-orbitals. In general, d10 s1 is a lower-energy configuration than d9 s2. That means copper, silver and gold have one s-electron and can adopt the +1 oxidation state. (Copper also commonly takes the +2 and gold the +3 state, which involves losing one or two d-electrons.)
I find the world of chemistry so fascinating I wish I had the equipment and the time and more of the knowledge to do it on my own.
I use argon as a shielding gas for TIG welding. The gas prevents the metals from burning in ambient oxygen when bits of them are heated up to some 5500C in the electric arc. Nitrogen cannot do this job because it too burns at those temperatures. One key challenge in TIG welding is to get the electrode and the workpiece reliably immersed in a moving stream of argon. Doing so is subject to many small problems. Central to the difficulty is that every repair or one-time fabrication job takes place in its own unique geometric puzzle. A skilled welder needs years of experience to develop intuition covering most of the situations she is likely to encounter.
My favourite gas is argon and hydrogen gas because it is a nice purple colour when energized
Nice explanations and discovers about ARGON and its compouds. Thank you !
At 5:31, the Professor says: "'Argon' apparently comes from the Greek word meaning 'idle'". That does put "Jason and the Argonauts" in a new light: "Jason and his bunch of lazy good-for-nothings". It sounds like what Medea would have called them.
Professor, just one thing: 7:32 - "keeping heat in" (or cold air out)
Not a big deal for the practical content, but a lot of difference for us, Physicists hehehe
Thank you for the amazing video again, the best Chemistry channel on yt by far
Nice "moving light" at electrodes
My favorite element. Here in Saskatchewan we use triple glazed windows to deal with -40 and lots of wind.
I thought it was because the mosquitoes up there can drill through single-pane windows :)
Jeff Spaulding Well that too.
At 0:26, Neil got the Science Hammer out
I wonder if lightning hit a building with argon insulated windows, would they all glow blue?
A small Tesla coil could be more effective
I'm not sure if that would work as glass is pretty terrible at
conducting currents. Perhaps you can ionize the Argon atoms by applying a
(very) strong electric field quickly (and then turning it off so the
electron can recombine - one could just use a strong AC). Or just use
fluorescence or something similar.
Sax4565 this is what a Tesla coil does
dontlikemath -.- I didn't see your comment when I wrote mine, I replied to smoothvirus with that :D
Sax4565 oh ok 👌
Since it sounded like you were saying the liquid argon was denser than liquid nitrogen, and the argon freezes at a higher temperature than liquid nitrogen boils, would you get solid argon if you put the coil output drip into some liquid nitrogen?
Wonderful video! I wish you would have over its use as an insert gas in TIG and MIG welding at all. As far as I'm aware that's Argon's main industrial application.
In graduate school I studied the ionization of argon-methanol van der Waals clusters. One of the species we observed was ArH+. Counter ion to the HArF?
As a professional welder, it freaks me out a little bit to see Neil hammering on the shroud around the cylinder valve.
This is my favorit peiodic video to date. Great job!
Argon is used in creating the plasma for ICP metals analysis.
KRS-5? I loved his stuff back in the 90's!
The argon (or air) in between the two sheets of glass, shouldn't it be at lower pressure than the atmosphere, so that it could transfer even less heat? Or would that compromise the integrity of the window too much if it was at a different pressure from the air around it?
Argon is quite useful also as a protective atmosphere during, for instance, heat treatment of some metals in which the oxidation must be avoided.
All right, I have a question. Given that argon is incapable of forming stable compounds, displaces oxygen and is heavier than air, would it be useful to help extend the shelf life of optical discs (CDs, DVDs), by isolating them from oxidative processes?
Where does the Lab purchase these Cylinders of Gases, such as Helium, Nitrogen, Argon, etc.? Are you able to purchase them from a Local Welding Gas Supplier?
Just enraptured with all the knowledge herein dispensed.
That is a beautiful shade of blue when a current is run through argon
The way the Prof constantly wags his hands up and down, if they connected them to the power grid he would generate a lot of electricity. 😊
Anyone here weld? Argon is used to weld stainless with a TIG
MIG welders use CO2 AR as a shielding gas aka coogar gas
What happens if you mix multiple different gasses into one of those noble gas stars? Will the colors combine to make different colors when you put an electric current through it?
[Science -- N. S. Vol. I No. 12. -- March 22, 1895.]
ARGON.
The plain facts concerning argon are these: For some time past Lord Rayleigh has been engaged on refined work involving the weighing of various gases. Last year he found that the nitrogen obtained from the air is a little heavier than that made from definite chemical compounds. This led him to further experiments and, at the same time, Professor W. Ramsay, of University College, London, also undertook experiments with the object of explaining, if possible, the discrepancy. The general method of work consisted in passing air, first through substances that have the power to remove those constituents that are present in small quantities, such as water vapor, carbonic-acid gas, etc., then through a heated tube containing copper. The oxygen of the air unites with the heated copper, and what has hitherto been regarded as nitrogen remains uncombined. This ‘atmospheric nitrogen’ was subsequently treated in three different ways for the purpose of removing the nitrogen from it.
(1) It was drawn through clay pipes in the hope that, if the gas is a mixture, one of the constituents would pass through the porous material more easily than the other, and at least a partial separation be thus effected. While something was accomplished in this way, the experiment was on the whole unsatisfactory.
(2) The ‘atmospheric nitrogen’ was mixed with oxygen in a vessel containing caustic alkali, and electric sparks were passed through the mixture. Under these circumstances the oxygen united with nitrogen and formed a compound which is soluble in alkali. After no further absorption of nitrogen could be effected by sparking, any unchanged oxygen present was removed, and there was then found a residue of gas which was certainly not oxygen nor nitrogen. This proved to be the substance about which the world is now talking.
In this connection it is of great interest to note that Cavendish, in 1785, probably had this same substance before him free from nitrogen. He performed the experiment above described, and noticed the residue, and says in regard to it: “We may safely conclude that it is not more than 1/120 of the whole.” This is very nearly the truth as regards the relative amount of argon in the air.
(3) The most satisfactory method for obtaining the gas on the large scale consists in passing ‘atmosphere nitrogen’ over highly-heated magnesium, which has the power of uniting with nitrogen, while the newly-discovered gas has not this power. But, even by this method, the preparation is very slow, and, up to the present, the gas cannot easily be obtained in large quantity.
The new substance is heavier than nitrogen. The density of hydrogen being taken as unity, that of nitrogen is 14, of oxygen 16, and of argon 19.7.
Perhaps the most remarkable property of argon is its inertness. It has not been possible thus far to get it to combine with any other substance, so that anything more than a general comparison with known substances is out of the question. It owes its name to its inertness, argon being derived from two Greek words signifying ‘no work.’
A determination of the ratio of the specific heat of argon at constant pressure to that at constant volume was determined by means of observations on the velocity of sound in the gas, and the ratio was found to be 1.66. This is of much importance as showing that the particles of which the gas is made up act as individuals. If this conclusion is correct, it follows further that argon must be either a single element or a mixture of elements, and that, if it is a single element, its atomic weight must be nearly 40, as its density is 19.7 and its atom is identical with its molecule.
Professor Crookes has studied the spectra of argon and, in an article giving his results in detail, he says: “I have found no other spectrum-giving gas or vapour yield spectra at all like those of argon.” * * * “As far, therefore, as spectrum work can decide, the verdict must, I think, be that Lord Rayleigh and Professor Ramsay have added one, if not two members to the family of elementary bodies.”
Finally, Professor Olszewski, of Cracow, the well-known authority on the liquefaction of gases has succeeded in both liquifying and solidifying argon. It was found to boil at 186.9° C., and to solidify at 189.6° C., forming a mass resembling ice.
To quote from Professor Ramsay’s article read before the Royal Society: “There is evidence both for and against the hypothesis that argon is a mixture: For, owing to Mr. Crookes’ observations of the dual character of its spectrum; against, because of Professor Olszewski’s statement that it has a definite melting point, a definite boiling point, and a definite critical temperature and pressure; and because, on compressing the gas in presence of its liquid, pressure remains sensibly constant until all gas has condensed to liquid.”
The above is a brief account of all that is known about argon, and it would evidently be premature to indulge in speculation regarding its position in the system. It may as well be said at once that, if it is an element or a mixture of elements, it will apparently be difficult to find a place for it on Mendeléeff’s table. It will be well to await developments before worrying on this account. If the time should ever come when Mendeléeff’s table has to be given up, something better will take its place.
The suggestion has been made repeatedly that argon is perhaps an allotropic form of nitrogen. The strongest argument against this view is the established fact that the gas conducts itself as if made up of individual particles, while any allotropic form of nitrogen, which is heavier than this, must, according to all that we know of such matters, consist of more complex molecules than nitrogen itself.
IRA REMSEN. JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY.
How do you deal with PPE requirements? I didn't see people wearing breathers. How do you deal with the gas in the air, or is it a trivial matter to restore adequate breathing environment?
When I look out the window I'm looking through argon gas, except for a couple windows that are cracked and the gas has leaked out and nasty oxygen has got in there and reacted with the coatings on the inside of the glass so I can't see out of it very well anymore.
When I heard double glazing I was expecting doughnuts.
you forgot about welding! argon used for TIG welding (tungsten inert gas) it's perfect for welding aluminum and stainless steel
Where can I get a Niel?
Would the argon gas make the window even more transparent for IR? Or would it block it? I'm so confused...
It seems to me that vacuum would be a better insulator than argon. Is there a technical problem with vacuum (mechanical failure, leaks...)?
Argon is also used in incandescent light bulbs.
How do they make argon gas? Do they extract it from the air or is argon found elsewhere?
The newest double glass uses vacuum as insulation. It has tiny glass bumps spread out on the inside to keep the layers seperated.
Another use of argon, they fill incandescent light bulbs with it, it will not react with the hot filament and will even slow down significantly the evaporation rate of that filament, thus increasing the lifetime of the bulb.