Describe how neon is processed to get a pure sample?

Answer 1

By compression and refrigeration of air to make liquid air. The liquid air is then fed into a vertical fractionating column. The column is kept at extremely cold temperatures, but the temperature varies slightly, top to bottom. At the point location of the neon boiling/condensation temperature, the operator keeps letting off a little of the neon. At other points, the operator takes off nitrogen, oxygen, and argon. It's like distillation, but not quite. See if you can find the Kirk-Othmer "Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology" in a library or on-line.