-Periodic Table
2007-09-16 11:29:51 · 3 answers · asked by tankaboy91 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
They don't react with anything else.
2007-09-16 11:34:57 · answer #1 · answered by Robert S 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
1. They're very small (atoms)
2. They're mixed in with other gases
3. They don't react with most things under standard conditions
4. They aren't plentiful in nature
I think it was Raleigh who discovered argon, and he basically compared air samples of nitrogen to chemically produced samples of nitrogen and because the air samples were slightly more dense he ran statistical tests on his data and rationalized that there must be some other gas that is undetectable.
Helium is also difficult to discover because it leaves the Earth because of its small mass.
2007-09-16 18:35:42 · answer #2 · answered by smilam 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
noble gases have 8 valence electrons, so they usually don't react.
2007-09-16 18:35:57 · answer #3 · answered by nemo nisi mors 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋