[TheForge] Shop Lighting

[Grover Richardson]

Hmm.  Clearing up my understanding.

Neon breaks down with a gas discharge.  Whereas nitrogen glows in the UV due
to high Voltage breakdown and/or corona??  We get corona all the time around
here so am used to seeing it.

>*>-----Original Message-----
>*>From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net 
>*>[mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Bruce Freeman
>*>Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2006 11:29 AM
>*>To: theforge at mailman.qth.net
>*>Subject: RE: [TheForge] Shop Lighting
>*>
>*>
>*>Well, that 's not completely true.  Yes, neon is a noble gas 
>*>(a monoatomic gas with almost no tendency to react with 
>*>anything else).  But nitrogen glows in the UV and is not a 
>*>noble gas.  It IS a very stable molecule, though, so maybe 
>*>that helps. 
>*>
>*> But such gases might be chosen simply because they'd be 
>*>less corrosive to the electrodes.  If you used oxygen in the 
>*>tube, it would probably chew through the electrode in no time.
>*>
>*>Bruce
>*>NJ
>*>
>*>>>> grover.richardson at gtri.gatech.edu 3/1/2006 10:58:17 AM >>>
>*>Yes.  If you look at a red "neon sign," you can actually see 
>*>inside the bulb and see the glowing gas.  As I remember it, 
>*>neon glows red and other gasses glow different colors.  Only 
>*>certain gasses will glow, I think they are called the "noble 
>*>gasses."  It's been a loooong time<G>.
>*>
>*>Fun stuff.
>*>
>*>And back to hammering on something else<G>.
>*>
>*>
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