Liquefaction of gases low temperatures, using, for example, turboexpanders. The liquefaction of air is used to obtain nitrogen, oxygen, and argon and other atmospheric noble gases by separating the air components by fractional distillation in a cryogenic air separation unit. Air is liquefied by the Linde process, in which air is alternately compressed, cooled, and expanded, each expansion results in a considerable reduction in temperature. With the lower temperature the molecules move more slowly and occupy less space, so the air changes phase to become liquid. Air can also be liquefied by Claude's process in which the gas is allowed to expand isentropically
Noble gas or neon are known. The noble gases—including helium—can form stable molecular ions in the gas phase. The simplest is the helium hydride molecular ion, HeH, discovered in 1925. Because it is composed of the two most abundant elements in the universe, hydrogen and helium, it is believed to occur naturally in the interstellar medium, although it has not been detected yet. In addition to these ions, there are many known neutral excimers of the noble gases. These are compounds such as ArF and KrF that are stable only when in an excited electronic state; some of them find application in