Neon: Occurrence

Neon is the fourth most abundant element in the entire universe, behind hydrogen, helium and oxygen. However, it is considered very rare on Earth as it can mainly be found in the atmosphere, which consists only 0.001818% of Neon in volume. This is because it is highly inert, very light, and has high vapor pressure at low temperatures. These properties explain why smaller, warmer, and solid planets like Earth are less abundant in Neon. Although, small traces of Neon can be encountered in the Earth's crust and ocean. Its estimated abundance is 5×10^-3 mg/Kg and 1.2×10^-4 mg/L respectively. Neon is the second lightest noble gas and is a monatomic gas, therefore found as Ne and not Ne₂.