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Helium, the lightest of the noble gasses, had been discovered, making it the only element in the periodic table discovered by an astronomer.
Helium is an element with the atomic number 2 that may be found on the upper right side of the periodic chart.
Lockyer and Frankland called it because it has one atomic orbital. Its name comes from the Greek word “helios,” which means “sun.” Before it was found, scientists knew there was a lot of helium in the Sun.
Helium is considered as an inert gas because the outermost orbital has only two electrons. Lasers, compressed air tanks, and nuclear reactor coolant all include helium.
A considerable amount of helium is produced by the nuclear fusion of hydrogen in stars.
Cryogenics (which consumes around a quarter of production) and superconducting magnet cooling are two of the most common uses for liquid helium, with MRI scanners being the most common commercial application. Half of the gas produced is used in industrial activities such as pressurizing and purging, providing a safe atmosphere for arc welding, and growing crystals to build silicon wafers. It is used as a lifting gas in balloons and airships, which is a well-known but modest application.Inhaling a small amount of helium temporarily alters the timbre and tone of the human voice, just as it does with any gas whose density differs from that of air.
It is relatively rare on Earth, with only 5.2 parts per million (ppm) in the atmosphere. The most common source of terrestrial helium today is natural radioactive decay of heavy radioactive elements (thorium and uranium, among others), as the alpha particles released by such decays include helium-4 nuclei. This radiogenic helium is trapped in natural gas at concentrations of up to 7% by volume, from which it is commercially recovered using a low-temperature separation process known as fractional distillation. Terrestrial helium is a nonrenewable resource since it quickly goes into space if released into the atmosphere. It’s supposed to be becoming increasingly scarce. However, some studies imply that helium created deep below the earth by radioactive decay can accumulate in natural gas reservoirs in greater quantities than expected, possibly as a result of volcanic activity.
Physical properties:
Helium (He) | Physical properties |
Melting point | 0.95 K (or -272.2oC) |
Boiling point | 4.222 K (or -268.928oC) |
Triple point | 2.177 K; 5.043 kPa |
Critical temperature and pressure | 5.195 K; 0.227 MPa |
Density | 0.1786 g/L at STP; 0.145 g.cm-3 at its melting point |
Appearance( at stp) | Colorless gas |
Chemical properties:
Helium(He) | Chemical properties |
Electronic configuration | 1s2 |
Van der waals radius | 140 picometers |
Enthalpy of fusion | 0.0138 kilojoules/mole |
First ionization enthalpy | 2372.3 kilojoules per mole |
Second ionization enthalpy | 5250.5 kilojoules per mole |
Uses of Helium:
Helium is mostly used in altitude research and meteorological balloons, which are the most common applications.
In autogenous welding, it is used as an inert protective gas to keep the weld from melting.
As far as we know, it is the only cooler capable of lowering temperatures down below 15K (-4340F).
It is also utilized in the manufacturing of germanium crystals and silicon crystals, among other applications.
Helium is utilized in the industrial sector for pipeline leak detection since it has the potential to permeate through solids much more quickly than air does.
This element is also employed in the field of gas chromatography as a transport gas.
Since liquid helium has a low melting point, it has several applications in a variety of fields such as cryogenics, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and superconducting magnets.
Helium orbital diagram:
Conclusion:
The atomic number 2 chemical element is an inert gas and the lightest member of the noble gas series.Helium is an element with the atomic number 2 that may be found on the upper right side of the periodic chart.
Helium is considered as an inert gas because its outermost electron shell has only two electrons. Lasers, compressed air tanks, and nuclear reactor coolant all include helium.
A considerable amount of helium is produced by the nuclear fusion of hydrogen in stars.
Helium is mostly used in altitude research and meteorological balloons, which are the most common applications.It is also utilized in the manufacturing of germanium crystals and silicon crystals, among other applications.
Helium is utilized in the industrial sector for pipeline leak detection since it has the potential to permeate through solids much more quickly than air does.
