The brilliant, reddish-orange glow of signs illuminating city streets is commonly called neon. The term “neon” refers both to a colorless, odorless noble gas element and the lighting technology that uses it. Understanding who made neon means tracing the path from the element’s isolation in a laboratory to its transformation into a ubiquitous form of commercial lighting.
The Scientific Discovery of the Element
The element Neon (Ne) was discovered in 1898 by British chemists Sir William Ramsay and Morris Travers at University College London. This discovery followed their intense work isolating the components of air, including the prior identification of Argon and Krypton. They used the fractional distillation of liquid air, a process that separates gases based on their unique boiling points.
The researchers allowed a sample of solid argon, frozen using liquid air, to slowly evaporate under low pressure. A small residue remained, which they suspected was a new gas. When Ramsay and Travers applied a high voltage to this isolated gas in a vacuum tube, the tube instantly burst into a spectacular, fiery red light, confirming the existence of a new element.
Ramsay named the gas “Neon,” deriving the term from the Greek word neos, which translates to “new.” This noble gas is chemically inert and was confirmed to be the second lightest of the group, trailing only Helium. The gas remained a laboratory curiosity until it was harnessed for practical use over a decade later.
The Commercialization of Neon Lighting
The commercial application of neon involved French engineer and chemist Georges Claude. Claude’s primary business, Air Liquide, focused on the industrial process of air liquefaction to separate components like oxygen and nitrogen. Neon, along with other noble gases, was an inexpensive byproduct of this large-scale operation.
Starting around 1910, Claude began experimenting with passing an electrical discharge through sealed glass tubes filled with the excess neon gas. His breakthrough involved solving the technical challenge of gas absorption by the electrodes, which had previously limited the lifespan of similar gas-discharge lights. This design ensured the lights would be commercially viable and long-lasting.
Claude publicly demonstrated his innovative neon light at the Paris Motor Show in December 1910, where the intense, glowing tubes became an immediate sensation. He secured a patent for his design in 1915 and soon established the company Claude Neon to market the lighting. The first commercial application appeared in Paris in 1912, illuminating a barbershop storefront and the entrance to the Palais de la Dance nightclub.
The technology was introduced to the United States in 1923 when Claude sold two large neon signs to a Packard car dealership in Los Angeles. The vibrant, attention-grabbing glow quickly made neon lighting the preferred medium for outdoor advertising across America. This trend defined the visual landscape of cities for decades.
The Physics Behind the Neon Glow
The characteristic light produced by a neon sign results from a process called gas discharge, which depends on the unique properties of the noble gas. A typical neon tube is sealed and contains neon gas at a very low pressure, with an electrode placed at each end. Applying a high-voltage electrical current across these electrodes accelerates free electrons inside the tube.
These fast-moving electrons collide with the neutral neon atoms, transferring energy and causing the atoms’ outer electrons to jump to a higher energy level. This excited state is unstable, and the atoms quickly return to their ground state. As the electrons fall back, they release the excess energy in the form of photons, which are packets of visible light.
Pure neon gas specifically emits photons that correspond to a distinct reddish-orange wavelength, which is the classic color associated with the signs. To achieve the wide spectrum of colors seen in modern “neon” signs, manufacturers use different noble gases or techniques. For example, blue light is commonly produced using argon gas mixed with a small amount of mercury vapor. Various colored glass tubes or internal phosphor coatings are used to create greens, yellows, and pinks.