where did the noble gases get their name
Noble gas Noble gas is translated from the German noun Edelgas, first used in 1898 by Hugo Erdmann[1] to indicate their extremely low level of reactivity. The name makes an analogy to the term "noble metals", which also have low reactivity. The noble gases have also been referred to as inert gases, but this label is deprecated as many noble gas compounds are now known.[2] Rare gases is another term that was used,[3] but this is also inaccurate because argon forms a fairly considerable part (0.94% by volume, 1.3% by mass) of the Earth's atmosphere due to decay of radioactive potassium-40.[4]