What is Helium?

Helium is a chemical element with the symbol He and atomic number 2. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table.

Properties of Helium

Helium is the second lightest element and is the second most abundant element in the observable universe, being present at about 24% of the total elemental mass, which is more than 12 times the mass of all the heavier elements combined. Some key properties of helium include:

• Boiling Point: -268.9 degrees Celsius
• Melting Point: -272.2 degrees Celsius
• Density: 0.1785 grams per liter
• Non-flammable
• Low solubility in water

Uses of Helium

Helium has a variety of important uses, including:

• Filling balloons to make them float
• Cooling in cryogenics for MRI machines and other medical equipment
• Gas for deep-sea diving and industrial processes
• Particle accelerators and other high-energy physics experiments
• Gas for airships and balloons

Fun Facts about Helium

Here are some interesting and fun facts about helium:

• It was first discovered on the sun before it was found on Earth
• Helium is the only element that was discovered in space before it was found on Earth
• It is used to pressurize and purge the fuel tanks in rockets
• Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe, but it is relatively rare on Earth