Inert gas
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- Noble gases and inert gases are not the same thing. "Inert gas" was a formerly used term for Noble gas.
An inert gas is any gas that, in a given circumstance, is not reactive. For instance molecular nitrogen is often used as an inert gas in food packaging to ensure that food does not spoil in transit.
Helium and neon are the only true elemental inert gases, because they do not form any true chemical compounds like the heavier noble gases do.