Question

Argon is used:
a) In filling airships
b) To obtain low temperature
c) In high temperature welding
d) In radiotherapy for treatment of cancer

Answer 1

Hint: Argon is a chemical element with an atomic number 18. It is a noble gas and it therefore, chemically inert. It is the third most abundant gas present in the earth’s atmosphere.

Complete step by step answer:
Argon is very widely used around us in many ways. It is mainly because –
1) Being a noble gas, it is chemically inert in nature.
2) It is very abundantly present in the atmosphere.
3) It is the cheapest alternative gas therefore can be used as filler.
4) It has a low thermal conductivity.
Argon is used in high temperature welding as an inert shielding gas. It is because argon remains inactive even at very high temperatures. It provides a non-oxidizing atmosphere and is therefore favorable for many industrial processes.
Therefore, the answer is – option (c) – Argon is used in high temperature welding.

Additional Information:
Argon can be obtained as a byproduct when cryogenic air is separated for the production of liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen.

Note: There are several other applications of Argon, such as–

- Used for extinguishing fires.

- Used for enhancing shelf life of poultry products.

- Used in electrical stunning of animals before slaughtering them.

- Used as a carrier gas in gas chromatography and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

- Used in medical fields to destroy certain tissues such as cancer cells.

- Used to fill incandescent lights to preserve the filaments at high temperature from oxidation.