Helium (from the Greek: ἥλιος [hḗlios] ‘Sun’, since its existence in the solar atmosphere had

been inferred in 1868) 2 is a chemical element with atomic number 2, symbol He and standard
atomic weight of 4.0026. It belongs to group 18 of the periodic table of the elements, since
having the complete energy level presents the properties of a noble gas. That is, it is inert (it
does not react) and, like these, it is a colorless and odorless monatomic gas that has the lowest
boiling point of all chemical elements and can only be liquefied under very high pressures and
cannot be frozen.

During a solar eclipse in 1868, French astronomer Pierre Janssen observed a yellow spectral
line in sunlight that was previously unknown. Norman Lockyer observed the same eclipse and
proposed that this line was produced by a new element, which he called helium, with which
both Lockyer and Janssen were awarded the discovery of this element. In 1903 large reserves
of helium were found in natural gas fields in the United States, the country with the highest
helium production in the world.

Industrially it is used in cryogenics (being its main use, which represents around 28% of world
production), in the cooling of superconducting magnets. Among these uses, the most
important application is in magnetic resonance scanners. It is also used as protection for arc
welding and other processes, such as the growth of silicon crystals, which represent 20% of its
use for the first case and 26% for the second. Other less frequent uses, although popularly
known, are the filling of balloons and airships, or their use as a component of air mixtures used
in deep diving.3 Inhaling a small amount of helium generates a brief change in quality and
timbre of the human voice. In scientific research, the behavior of helium-4 in liquid form in its
two phases, helium I and helium II, is important for scientists studying quantum mechanics
(especially the phenomenon of superfluidity), as well as for those who want to know the
effects on matter at temperatures close to absolute zero (as in the case of superconductivity).

Helium is the second lightest element and the second most abundant in the observable
universe, constituting 24% of the mass of the elements present in our galaxy. This abundance
is found in similar proportions on the Sun and Jupiter. By mass it is found in a proportion
twelve times greater than that of all the heaviest elements together. The frequent presence of
helium is due to the high nucleon binding energy of helium-4 with respect to the three
elements that follow it in the periodic table (lithium, beryllium and boron). This energy results
in frequent helium production in both nuclear fusion and radioactive decay. Most of the
helium in the universe is present in the form of the isotope helium-4 (4He), which is believed
to have formed about 15 minutes after the Big Bang. Thanks to the fusion of hydrogen in the
active stars, a small amount of new helium is formed, except in those of greater mass, because
during the final stages of their life they generate their energy turning helium into heavier
elements. Traces of helium are found in Earth's atmosphere due to the radioactive decay of
some elements. In some natural deposits the gas is in sufficient quantity for exploitation.

On Earth, the lightness of helium has caused its evaporation from the cloud of gas and dust
from which the planet formed, making it relatively rare - with a fraction of 0.00052 by volume -
in the atmosphere land. Helium present on Earth today has been created for the most part by
the natural radioactive decay of heavy radioactive elements (thorium and uranium), because
the alpha particles emitted in such processes consist of helium-4 nuclei. This radiogenic helium
is trapped together with natural gas in concentrations of up to 7% by volume, from which it is
commercially extracted by a low-temperature separation process called fractional distillation.

Index

1 Main features

1.1 The helium atom

1.1.1 Helium in quantum mechanics

1.1.2 The relative stability of the helium-4 nucleus and its electron shell

1.2 Gas and plasma phases

1.3 Liquid and solid phases

1.3.1 Helium I

1.3.2 Helium II

2 Compounds

3 Isotopes

4 Abundance and procurement

4.1 Natural abundance

4.2 Modern extraction

4.3 Depletion of helium supplies

5 Applications

6 History

6.1 Scientific discovery

6.2 Extraction and use

7 Precautions

8 Biological effects

9 See also

10 References

11 External links

Main features
Although the electronic configuration of the h