Abstract In 1897, British chemist Ramsay predicted an element with an atomic weight of 20. In 1898, Ramsay and British chemist Travers found neon in the air, confirming Ramsay’s prediction. After 1920s, the discovery of neon isotope gave people a new understanding of the concept of neon element, and formed the modern concept of neon element. The discovery of the element neon led to the formation of the whole noble-gas element concept, and neon isotopes confirm the existence of non-radioactive isotopes and the universality of isotopic phenomena. The prediction of neon reflects the promotion of scientific discovery by ideal model, scientific hypothesis and other scientific methods. The formation and development of the concept of neon shows the importance of scientific spirit to scientific discovery.
JIANG Zhi-Wu, YUAN Zhen-Dong. Formation and Development of the Concept of Neon and Its Historical Significance[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Education, 2024, 45(14): 119-123.