Inert gas Inert gas An inert gas/noble gas is a gas which does not undergo chemical reactions under a set of given conditions. The noble gases often do not react with many substances, and were historically referred to as the inert gases. Inert gases are used generally to avoid unwanted chemical reactions degrading a sample. These undesirable chemical reactions are often oxidation and hydrolysis reactions with the oxygen and moisture in air. The term "inert gas" is context-dependent because several of the noble gases can be made to react under certain conditions. Purified argon and nitrogen gases are most commonly used as
Phase-out of incandescent light bulbs U.S. House passed the final 2012 budget legislation, which effectively delayed the implementation until October 2012. In 2014 the spending bill proposed by the House effectively blocked the energy efficiency standards in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which would have made incandescent light bulbs obsolete. As of 2018, incandescent bulbs are set to be banned in the United States in 2020. In February 2007, Australia enacted a law that will, in effect, by legislating efficiency standards, disallow most sales of incandescent light bulbs by 2010. The Australian Federal Government announced minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) for lighting