Argon Facts for Kids

Argon - Periodic Table of Elements
  • Name: Argon
  • Symbol: Ar
  • Atomic Number: 18
  • Atomic Weight: 39.948 u
  • Period: 3
  • Group: 18

27 Argon Facts for Kids

  1. Argon is a chemical element on the periodic table.
  2. Argon is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas.
  3. The symbol for argon is Ar.
  4. The atomic number for argon is 18.
  5. The standard atomic weight of argon is 39.948 u.
  6. Argon is a gas at room temperature.
  7. Argon is in the noble gas element category on the periodic table.
  8. Argon is a period 3 chemical element, which is the third row on the periodic table.
  9. Argon is a group 18 chemical element, which is the noble gases group.
  10. Argon is in the p-block on the periodic table of elements.
  11. The electron configuration for Argon is [Ne] 3s2 3p2.
  12. The electrons per shell for argon are 2, 8, 8.
  13. Argon has three stable isotopes.
  14. The three stable argon isotopes are 36Ar, 38Ar and 40Ar.
  15. Over 99% of the natural argon found on Earth is 40Ar.
  16. Argon was predicted to exist in 1785 by English scientist Henry Cavendish.
  17. Argon was discovered and isolated in 1894 by British scientist John W. Strutt and Scottish chemist William Ramsay.
  18. Argon is the 3rd most abundant gas found in the Earth’s atmosphere.
  19. Argon makes up about 0.00015% of the Earth’s crust, making it the most abundant noble gas found in the Earth’s crust.
  20. Worldwide over 771 million tons of argon gas are produced annually.
  21. Argon is chemically inert and commonly used to create an inert environment.
  22. Argon is 38% more dense than air, and even though it’s a non-toxic gas it can cause asphyxiation in an enclosed area.
  23. Argon’s density can displace oxygen, which makes it a common component in a fire-suppression system.
  24. Argon’s density makes it a great insulator and is injected in between double pan windows.
  25. Argon is added into incandescent light bulbs to protect the filament from oxidation.
  26. Argon’s density can be used in an enclosed environment to prevent decay.
  27. The original United States Declaration of Independence is stored in a case filled with argon gas to protect it from decay.

Additional Resources on the Chemical Element Argon

  • Argon – Learn more about the chemical element argon on the U.S. National Library of Medicine website.
  • Argon (Ar) – Discover more facts about argon on the Royal Society of Chemistry website.
  • Argon – Wikipedia – Find more argon facts on the Wikipedia website.

About the author
Facts Editor

This is an author profile for articles that are created from a collaborative effort. It is not uncommon that articles on this site were either written, researched or fact checked by several authors and team members. So this author profile will be displayed to reflect that. Our team of editors, writers and fact checkers do extensive research before publishing articles on the site, and we do our best to provide the most accurate information possible.