Helium – Element Information, Properties and Uses

Astronomers were the first to discover helium, the lightest of the noble gases, and helium remains the only element in the periodic table to have been discovered by an astronomer to this day.

Helium is the element with the atomic number 2 that can be found on the upper right side of the periodic table, on the upper right side of the periodic table. It is the most abundant of the noble gases and ranks first among them.

Lockyer and Frankland gave it the name because it has one atomic orbital and holds one atom. Helios, which means “Sun” in Greek, is the source of the word for the planet. Before the discovery of helium in the Sun, scientists were aware of the vast amount of helium present in the Sun.

Helium

Helium is the element with the atomic number 2 that can be found on the upper right side of the periodic table, on the upper right side of the periodic table. It is the most abundant of the noble gases and ranks first among them.It has the lowest boiling and melting points of any other element, and it is the most reactive. The nuclear fusion of hydrogen that occurs in stars results in the production of a significant amount of helium.Helium is an odourless, colourless, insipid, and non-toxic gas that has no resemblance to any other element.

Because the outermost electron orbital of helium contains two electrons, it is classified as an inert gas. Helium can also be found in lasers, compressed air tanks, and nuclear reactor coolant, among other places.

It has the lowest boiling and melting points of any other element, and it is the most reactive. The nuclear fusion of hydrogen that occurs in stars results in the production of a significant amount of helium.

Properties of Helium

There are following Properties:

• Helium is a colourless gas.
• Gases cool and condense to form liquid helium, which is the only element that does not solidify at normal pressure, regardless of the surrounding environment (temperature).
• Helium gas is less dense than any other known gas, with the exception of hydrogen, and it is about one-seventh as dense as the air around us.
• Helium has no odour and is colourless.
• The viscosity of the solution is extremely low.

• It is completely inert, and it does not combine with other elements to form compounds or react with them.

Mass of Helium atom

The mass of a single atom is measured in amu (atomic mass units).

amu is an abbreviation for atomic mass unit.

In the helium atom, the number of protons is two and the number of neutrons is two.

Atomic mass is equal to the product of the number of protons plus the number of neutrons; therefore, the mass of one helium atom is equal to 4 amu.

Electronic configuration of helium

Because Helium only has two electrons, it is one of the simplest electron configurations to write because it only has two electrons. In essence, there are only two electrons revolving around the Helium nucleus.

Helium only has two electrons, and as a result, it has a configuration of 1s2 when viewed from above. Because the 1s orbital is already occupied by two electrons, and any additional electrons would be redirected to a different energy level. Helium’s electron configuration exhibits a complete outer shell, which is why it is referred to as a Nobel Gas. It will not react with any other atoms because of this.

Helium has a variety of applications

• Helium is primarily 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 to below 15K (-434°F).
• It is also used in the production of germanium crystals and silicon crystals, among other applications.
• Helium is used in the industrial sector for pipeline leak detection because it has the ability to diffuse 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 numerous applications in a variety of fields such as cryogenics, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and superconducting magnets.

Conclusion

At normal temperatures and pressures, helium is harmless. The ability to displace oxygen in the air is the main concern. To avoid signs of oxygen shortage, the oxygen content must remain above 19 percent by volume. Asphyxiated suicides have been carried out with compressed helium. The recreational use of compressed helium to generate voice changes has resulted in fatalities.

A clinical example of helium-induced rapid freeze damage to both hands was recorded at extremely low temperatures. The exposed person was wearing protective gloves, which helped to lessen the depth and severity of the injury by removing them quickly after exposure. Liquid helium can induce frostbite if it comes into contact with the skin.