Argon Uses

Even though it has a share of mere 0.93 percent, argon is the third most abundant gas in the Earth's atmosphere, only preceded by nitrogen and oxygen, with 70 and 29 percent shares respectively. While the credit of isolating argon goes to Lord Rayleigh and Sir William Ramsay, a feat they achieved in 1894, the probability of argon being present in the atmosphere of the Earth was put forth by a British scientist - Henry Cavendish, way back in 1875. The uses of argon range from its use in an electric light bulb to its use in various cryosurgery procedures in the field of medicine.

Argon Uses and Properties

When we talk about the different uses of argon, we need to take a note of the fact that these uses are basically attributed to the various properties of the element. For instance, the low thermal conductivity of argon makes it an apt gas to inflate the dry suit in scuba diving. It is important to understand all these properties of argon, before moving on to its uses.

Argon is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas constituting a little less than 1 percent of the total atmosphere of the Earth. In the periodic table, argon is designated 'Ar' as the symbol, while its atomic number is 18. Like helium, even argon is monatomic in nature. It is non-toxic in solid, liquid as well as gaseous state. Argon has a density of 1.784 g/L. Its melting point is -308.83°F, while its boiling point is -302.53°F. Mostly, argon gas is produced by means of fractional distillation of liquid air.

Argon is used as a protective covering for the filament in light bulbs and incandescent lamps. Its tendency to emit blue light makes it a popular component of fluorescent tubes and glow tubes. Given below are some more uses of argon element in various forms.

• As far as its industrial use is concerned, argon is used to create that inert atmosphere required for welding metals such as aluminum and stainless steel.
• Argon is also used in fire extinguishers, owing to its tendency of extinguishing fire without causing any harm to the equipment.
• In the semiconductor industry, it is used to create a protective environment for the development of silicon and germanium crystals.
• An ideal preservation agent, argon is also used to preserve old documents, and other material of historical significance.
• In wine making, it is used to ensure that the bottles of wine are not subjected to oxidization when kept open.
• In scuba diving, argon is used to inflate dry suits owing to the fact that it has a low thermal conductivity.
• In a process referred to as Potassium-Argon Dating, argon is used in dating ground water, ice cores, igneous rocks etc.
• In the field of medicine, it is used in the lasers meant to destroy tumors, weld arteries, correct the defects in eyes, etc.

The fact that argon is 25 percent denser than air can make it a bit dangerous, especially in closed environment, wherein it can trigger asphyxiation, which can eventually result in death of the individual.

All these applications of argon stress on the fact that it is a crucial component of various fields, including medical, electronics, industries, etc. Over a period, our dependency on this element has just increased, making it one of the most important chemical elements for mankind.