Difference between revisions of "Helium" - New World Encyclopedia

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{{Elementbox_header | number=2 | symbol=He | name=helium | left=[[hydrogen]] | right=- | above=- | below=[[neon|Ne]] | color1=#c0ffff | color2=green }}
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{{Elementbox_header | number=2 | symbol=He | name=helium | left=[[hydrogen]] | right=[[lithium]] | above=- | below=[[neon|Ne]] | color1=#c0ffff | color2=green }}
 
{{Elementbox_series | [[noble gas]]es }}
 
{{Elementbox_series | [[noble gas]]es }}
 
{{Elementbox_groupperiodblock | group=18 | period=1 | block=s }}
 
{{Elementbox_groupperiodblock | group=18 | period=1 | block=s }}
 
{{Elementbox_appearance_img | He,2| colorless }}
 
{{Elementbox_appearance_img | He,2| colorless }}
{{Elementbox_atomicmass_gpm | [[1 E-27 kg|4.002602(2)]] }}
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{{Elementbox_atomicmass_gpm | [[1 E-27 kg|4.002602]][[List of elements by atomic mass|(2)]] }}
 
{{Elementbox_econfig | 1s<sup>2</sup> }}
 
{{Elementbox_econfig | 1s<sup>2</sup> }}
 
{{Elementbox_epershell | 2 }}
 
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{{Elementbox_meltingpoint | k=(at 2.5 MPa) 0.95 | c=-272.2 | f=-458.0 }}
 
{{Elementbox_meltingpoint | k=(at 2.5 MPa) 0.95 | c=-272.2 | f=-458.0 }}
 
{{Elementbox_boilingpoint | k=4.22 | c=-268.93 | f=-452.07 }}
 
{{Elementbox_boilingpoint | k=4.22 | c=-268.93 | f=-452.07 }}
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{{Elementbox_criticalpoint | k=5.19 | mpa=0.227 }}
 
{{Elementbox_heatfusion_kjpmol | 0.0138 }}
 
{{Elementbox_heatfusion_kjpmol | 0.0138 }}
 
{{Elementbox_heatvaporiz_kjpmol | 0.0829 }}
 
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{{Elementbox_cas_number | 7440-59-7 }}
 
{{Elementbox_cas_number | 7440-59-7 }}
 
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{{Elementbox_isotopes_begin | isotopesof=helium | color1=#c0ffff | color2=green }}
{{Elementbox_isotopes_stable | mn=3 | sym=He | na=0.000137%* | n=1 }}
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| <sup>3</sup>He || 0.000137%* || colspan="4" | He is [[stable isotope|stable]] with 1 [[neutron]]
 
{{Elementbox_isotopes_stable | mn=4 | sym=He | na=99.999863%* | n=2 }}
 
{{Elementbox_isotopes_stable | mn=4 | sym=He | na=99.999863%* | n=2 }}
 
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:''This page is about the chemical element helium. For the American indie rock band Helium see [[Helium (band)]]''.
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'''Helium''' (chemical symbol '''He''', [[atomic number]] 2) is a minor component of the [[Earth's atmosphere]], but it is the second most abundant [[chemical element|element]] in the [[universe]] and second lightest of all known elements. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, nontoxic, and nearly inert gas that heads the [[noble gas]] series in the [[periodic table]]. Its [[boiling point|boiling]] and [[melting point|melting]] points are the lowest among the elements, and extreme conditions are needed to convert it into the [[liquid]] and [[solid]] forms. Extreme conditions are also needed to create the small handful of helium [[compound (chemistry)|compound]]s, which are all unstable at ordinary [[temperature]]s and [[pressure]]s.
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In the present-day universe, almost all new helium is created as a result of the [[nuclear fusion]] of [[hydrogen]] in [[star]]s. On [[Earth]], it is produced by the [[radioactive decay]] of much heavier elements. After its creation, part of it is trapped with [[natural gas]], at concentrations of up to 7 percent by volume.
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{{toc}}
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It is commonly known that helium is used for providing lift for balloons and [[airship]]s. In addition, it is used as a component in deep-sea breathing systems, as a coolant for [[superconducting magnet]]s, and as a protective gas for many industrial processes such as [[arc welding]] and growing [[silicon]] wafers. Researchers use helium to study materials at very low temperatures, in a field called ''cryogenics'', and in [[helium dating]] of radioactive rocks and minerals. Inhaling a small [[volume]] of the gas temporarily changes the tonal quality and pitch of one's voice. It can, however, be dangerous if done in excess.
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== Abundance in nature ==
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Helium is the second most abundant element in the known universe, after [[hydrogen]], constituting 23 percent of the elemental [[mass]] of the universe. It is concentrated in [[star]]s, where it is formed by two sets of [[nuclear fusion]] reactions: one involving the "proton-proton chain reaction" and the other involving the "carbon-nitrogen-oxygen cycle." According to the [[Big Bang]] model of the early development of the universe, the vast majority of helium was formed between one and three minutes after the Big Bang, at a stage known as the ''Big Bang nucleosynthesis''. Based on this theory, the abundance of helium serves as a test of cosmological models.
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In the Earth's atmosphere, the concentration of helium by volume is only 5.2 parts per million, largely because most helium in the Earth's atmosphere escapes into space due to its inertness and low mass. In the Earth's [[Earth's atmosphere|heterosphere]] (a part of the upper atmosphere), helium and other lighter gases are the most abundant elements.
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Nearly all helium on [[Earth]] is a result of [[radioactive decay]]. The [[decay product]] is found in minerals of [[uranium]] and [[thorium]], including cleveites, [[pitchblende]], carnotite, monazite and [[beryl]]. These minerals emit [[alpha particle]]s, which consist of helium nuclei (He<sup>2+</sup>), to which electrons readily attach themselves. In this way, an estimated 3.4 liters of helium are generated per year per cubic kilometer of the Earth's crust.
  
'''Helium''' (He) is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, nearly inert monatomic [[chemical element]] that heads the [[noble gas]] series in the [[periodic table]] and whose [[atomic number]] is 2. Its [[boiling point|boiling]] and [[melting point|melting]] points are the lowest among the elements and it exists only as a [[gas]] except in extreme conditions. Extreme conditions are also needed to create the small handful of helium [[compound (chemistry)|compound]]s, which are all unstable at [[standard temperature and pressure]]. Its most abundant [[stable isotope]] is [[helium-4]] and its rare stable [[isotope]] is [[helium-3]]. The behavior of [[liquid helium]]-4's two varieties&mdash;helium I and helium II&mdash;is important to researchers studying [[quantum mechanics]] (in particular the phenomenon of [[superfluidity]]) and those looking at the effects that near [[absolute zero]] temperatures have on [[matter]] (such as [[superconductivity]]).
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The concentration of helium in the Earth's crust is 8 parts per billion; in seawater, it is only 4 parts per trillion. There are also small amounts in mineral [[spring (water)|springs]], [[volcano|volcanic]] gas, and meteoric iron. The greatest concentrations of helium on our planet are in [[natural gas]], from which most commercial helium is derived.
  
Helium is the second most [[chemical abundance| abundant]] and second lightest element in the [[periodic table]]. In the modern Universe almost all new helium is created as a result of the [[nuclear fusion]] of hydrogen in [[star]]s. On [[Earth]] it is created by the [[radioactive decay]] of much heavier elements ([[alpha particle]]s are helium nuclei produced by the decay of [[uranium]]). After its creation, part of it is trapped with [[natural gas]] in concentrations up to 7% by volume.  It is extracted from the natural gas by a low [[temperature]] separation process called [[fractional distillation]].
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== Scientific discoveries ==
  
In 1868 the French astronomer [[Pierre Janssen]] [[discovery of the chemical elements| first detected]] helium as an unknown yellow  [[spectroscopy| spectral line]] signature in light from a [[solar eclipse]]. Since then large reserves of helium have been found in the natural gas fields of the [[United States]], which is by far the largest supplier of the gas. Helium is used in [[cryogenics]], in deep-sea breathing systems, to cool [[superconducting magnet]]s, in [[helium dating]], for inflating [[balloon]]s, for providing lift in [[airship]]s and as a protective gas for many industrial uses (such as  [[arc welding]] and growing [[silicon]] wafers). Inhaling a small [[volume]] of the gas temporarily changes the quality of one's voice.
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[[Image:Pierre Janssen.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Pierre Janssen (1824–1907), a French astronomer, was the first to detect evidence of a previously unknown element (helium) in the Sun.]]
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On August 18, 1868, during a total [[solar eclipse]] in Guntur, India, French astronomer [[Pierre Janssen]] observed a bright yellow line with a [[wavelength]] of 587.49 nanometers (nm) in the [[spectrum]] of the [[Sun]]'s [[chromosphere]]. This line was the first evidence that the Sun contained a previously unknown element, but Janssen was ridiculed because no element had been detected in a celestial body before being found on Earth. On October 20 of the same year, English astronomer [[Norman Lockyer]] observed a yellow line of the same wavelength in the solar spectrum. He named it the D<sub>3</sub> line (Fraunhofer line), for it was near the known D<sub>1</sub> and D<sub>2</sub> lines of sodium<!-- ref: ''The Encyclopedia of the Chemical Elements'', page 256 —>. He concluded that it was caused by an element in the Sun unknown on Earth. He and English chemist [[Edward Frankland]] named the element with the Greek word for the Sun, ἥλιος ''(helios)''.
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On March 26, 1895, British chemist [[William Ramsay]] isolated helium on Earth by treating the mineral [[cleveite]] with mineral [[acid]]s. Ramsay was looking for [[argon]], but after separating [[nitrogen]] and [[oxygen]] from the gas liberated by [[sulfuric acid]], he noticed a bright-yellow line that matched the D<sub>3</sub> line observed in the spectrum of the Sun.<!-- ref: ''The Encyclopedia of the Chemical Elements'', page 257 —>. These samples were identified as helium by Lockyer and British physicist [[William Crookes]]. That same year, chemists Per Teodor Cleve and Abraham Langlet in Uppsala, Sweden, independently isolated helium from cleveite. They collected enough of the gas to accurately determine its [[atomic mass|atomic weight]].{{fn|1}}
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In 1907, [[Ernest Rutherford]] and [[Thomas Royds]] demonstrated that an alpha particle (emitted by radioactive materials) is a helium [[atomic nucleus|nucleus]]. In 1908, Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes was the first to liquefy helium by cooling the gas to below 1 Kelvin (K). He tried to solidify it by further reducing the temperature, but he failed because helium does not have a "triple point" temperature where the solid, liquid, and gas phases are in equilibrium with one another. His student, Willem Hendrik Keesom, was the first to solidify helium in 1926, by subjecting it to a pressure of 25 atmospheres.
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In 1938, Russian physicist Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa discovered that helium-4 has almost no [[viscosity]] at temperatures near [[absolute zero]], a phenomenon now called [[superfluidity]]. In 1972, the same phenomenon was observed with helium-3, by American physicists Douglas D. Osheroff, David M. Lee, and Robert C. Richardson.
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== Notable characteristics ==
  
==Notable characteristics==
 
 
===Gas and plasma phases===
 
===Gas and plasma phases===
  
Helium is a colorless, odorless, and non-toxic gas. It is the least reactive member of group 18 (the [[noble gas]]es) of the periodic table and therefore virtually inert. Under [[standard temperature and pressure]] helium behaves very much like an [[ideal gas]].  Under virtually all conditions helium is monatomic. It has a [[thermal conductivity]] that is  greater than any gas except [[hydrogen]] and its  [[specific heat]] is unusually high. Helium is also less water [[solubility| soluble]] than any other gas known and its [[diffusion]] rate through [[solid]]s is three times that of air and around 65% that of hydrogen<!-- ref: ''The Encyclopedia of Chemical Elements'', page 261 —>. Helium's [[index of refraction]] is closer to unity than any other gas. This gas has a negative [[Joule-Thomson coefficient]] at normal ambient temperatures, meaning it heats up when allowed to freely expand. Only below its [[Joule-Thomson inversion temperature]] (of about 40 [[Kelvin|K]] at 1 atmosphere) does it cool upon free expansion.  Once precooled below this temperature, helium can be liquefied through expansion cooling.
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In the [[periodic table]], helium is at the head of the [[noble gas]] series in group 18 (former group 8A), and it is placed in period 1, along with [[hydrogen]]. Unlike hydrogen, helium is extremely inert and is the least reactive member of the noble gases. As a result, it is monatomic (consists of single atoms of He) under virtually all conditions.
  
[[Image:HeTube.jpg|thumb|left|Helium discharge tube shaped like the element's atomic symbol]]
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The boiling and melting points of helium are the lowest among the elements. For this reason, helium exists as a gas except under extreme conditions. Gaseous helium is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and nontoxic. It is less water soluble than any other gas known, and its rate of [[diffusion]] through solids is three times that of air and around 65 percent that of hydrogen<!-- ref: ''The Encyclopedia of Chemical Elements'', page 261 —>. The [[index of refraction]] of helium (ratio of speed of light in helium to that in a vacuum) is closer to unity than any other gas.
Helium is chemically unreactive under all normal conditions due to its [[valence]] of zero. It is an electrical insulator unless [[ion]]ized. As with the other noble gases, helium has metastable [[energy level]]s that allow it to remain ionized in an [[electricity| electrical]] discharge with a [[voltage]] below its [[ionization potential]]. Helium can form unstable [[compound (chemistry)|compound]]s with [[tungsten]], [[iodine]], [[fluorine]], [[sulfur]] and [[phosphorus]] when it is subjected to an [[electric glow discharge]], through electron bombardment or is otherwise a [[Plasma physics|plasma]].  HeNe, HgHe<sub>10</sub>, WHe<sub>2</sub>  and the molecular ions He<sub>2</sub><sup>+</sup>, He<sub>2</sub><sup>++</sup>, HeH<sup>+</sup>, and HeD<sup>+</sup> have been created this way.  This technique has also allowed the production of the neutral molecule He<sub>2</sub>, which has a large number of [[band system]]s, and HgHe, which is apparently only held together by polarization forces <!-- ref: ''The Encyclopedia of the Chemical Elements'', page 261 —>. Theoretically, other compounds, like helium fluorohydride (HHeF), may also be possible.
 
  
Throughout the Universe, helium is mostly found in the [[plasma]] state whose properties are quite different to molecular helium. As a plasma, helium's electrons and protons are not bound together, resulting in very high electrical conductivity, even when the gas is only partially ionized. The charged particles are highly influenced by magnetic and electric fields, for example, in the [[solar wind]] together with ionized hydrogen, they interact with the Earth's [[magnetosphere]] giving rising to [[Birkeland current]]s and the [[aurora]].
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Helium's [[thermal conductivity]] (ability to conduct heat) is greater than that of any gas except hydrogen, and its [[specific heat]] (amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of helium by 1 K) is unusually high. At normal temperatures, helium heats up when allowed to expand freely; but below about 40 K (Kelvin), it cools during free expansion. Once it has been cooled below this temperature, helium can be liquefied through expansion cooling.
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Helium is an electrical insulator unless ionized. As with the other noble gases, it has metastable [[energy level]]s that allow it to remain ionized in an [[electricity| electrical]] discharge when the [[voltage]] is kept below its [[ionization potential]] (that is, below the energy required to strip the He atom of an electron).
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Helium is chemically unreactive under all normal conditions. Extreme conditions are needed to create the small handful of helium [[compound (chemistry)|compound]]s, which are all unstable at standard temperature and pressure (0° C and 100 kilopascals pressure).
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For instance, helium can form unstable compounds with [[tungsten]], [[iodine]], [[fluorine]], [[sulfur]], and [[phosphorus]] when it is subjected to an [[electric glow discharge]], through electron bombardment, or is otherwise a [[Plasma physics|plasma]]. HeNe, HgHe<sub>10</sub>, WHe<sub>2</sub>, and the molecular ions He<sub>2</sub><sup>+</sup>, He<sub>2</sub><sup>++</sup>, HeH<sup>+</sup>, and HeD<sup>+</sup> have been created in this manner. This technique has also allowed the production of the neutral molecules He<sub>2</sub> and HgHe <!-- ref: ''The Encyclopedia of the Chemical Elements'', page 261 —>.
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Throughout the universe, helium is found mostly in a plasma state whose properties are quite different from those of molecular helium. As a plasma, helium's electrons and protons are not bound together, resulting in very high electrical conductivity, even when the gas is only partially ionized. The charged particles are highly influenced by magnetic and electric fields. For example, in the [[solar wind]] together with ionized hydrogen, they interact with the Earth's [[magnetosphere]] giving rise to the [[Aurora (phenomenon)|aurora]] phenomenon ("Northern lights").
  
 
=== Solid and liquid phases ===
 
=== Solid and liquid phases ===
Helium solidifies only under great pressure. The resulting colorless almost invisible [[solid]] is highly [[compressible]]; applying pressure in the laboratory can decrease its volume by more than 30%.<!-- ref: LANL.gov —>  With a [[bulk modulus]] on the order of 5×10<sup>7</sup> [[Pascal|Pa]] [http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/105558571/ABSTRACT] it is 50 times more compressible than water.  Unlike any other element, helium will fail to solidify and remain a liquid down to [[absolute zero]] at normal pressures. Solid helium requires a temperature of 1&ndash;1.5&nbsp;K and about 26 standard atmospheres (2.6 MPa) of pressure<!-- ref: ''Natures Building Blocks'', page 178 —>. It is often hard to distinguish solid from liquid helium since the [[refractive index]] of the two phases are nearly the same. The solid has a sharp [[melting point]] and has a [[crystal]]line structure.
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Unlike any other element, helium fails to solidify and remains a liquid down to [[absolute zero]] (0 K) at normal pressures. Solid helium requires a temperature of 1&ndash;1.5&nbsp;K (about &minus;272&nbsp;°C or &minus;457&nbsp;°F) and about 26 standard atmospheres (2.6 MPa) of pressure<!-- ref: ''Natures Building Blocks'', page 178 —>. It is often hard to distinguish solid from liquid helium because the two phases have nearly the same [[refractive index]]. The solid form is colorless and almost invisible; it has a [[crystal]]line structure with a sharp melting point; and it is highly compressible&mdash;about 50 times more compressible than water.
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Helium-4 (the most common isotope of helium) has two different liquid states, helium I and helium II, depending on the temperature. The behavior of these two states is important to researchers studying [[quantum mechanics]] (particularly the phenomenon of [[superfluidity]]) and those studying [[superconductivity]] and other properties of matter at temperatures near 0 K.
  
 
==== Helium I state ====
 
==== Helium I state ====
Below its [[boiling point]] of 4.21 [[kelvin]]s and above the [[lambda point]] of 2.1768 kelvins, the [[isotope]] helium-4 exists in a normal colorless [[liquid]] state, called ''helium I''. Like other cryogenic liquids, helium I boils when heat is added to it. It also contracts when its temperature is lowered until it reaches the lambda point, when it stops boiling and suddenly expands. The rate of expansion decreases below the lambda point until about 1 K is reached; at which point expansion completely stops and helium I starts to contract again.
 
  
Helium I has a gas-like [[index of refraction]] of 1.026 which makes its surface so hard to see that floats of [[Styrofoam]] are often used to show where the surface is<!-- ref: ''The Encyclopedia of the Chemical Elements'', page 262 —>. This colorless liquid has a very low [[viscosity]] and a [[density]] 1/8th that of [[water]], which is only 1/4th the value expected from [[classical physics]]<!-- ref: ibid —>. [[Quantum mechanics]] is needed to explain this property and thus both types of liquid helium are called ''quantum fluids'', meaning they display atomic properties on a macroscopic scale. This is probably due to its boiling point being so close to absolute zero, which prevents  random molecular motion ([[heat]]) from masking the atomic properties<!-- ref: ibid —>.
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Below its boiling point of 4.21 K and above a temperature of 2.1768 K (called the "lambda point" for helium), the helium-4 [[isotope]] exists in a normal, colorless liquid state, called ''helium I''. Like other cryogenic liquids, helium I boils when heat is added to it. It also contracts when its temperature is lowered until it reaches the lambda point, when it stops boiling and suddenly expands. The rate of expansion decreases below the lambda point until about 1 K is reached; at which point expansion completely stops and helium I starts to contract again.
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Helium I has a gas-like refractive index of 1.026, which makes its surface so hard to see that floats of [[Styrofoam]] are often used to show where the surface is<!-- ref: ''The Encyclopedia of the Chemical Elements'', page 262 —>. This colorless liquid has a very low viscosity and a density one-eighth that of water, which is only one-fourth the value expected from [[classical physics]]<!-- ref: ibid —>. [[Quantum mechanics]] is needed to explain this property. For this reason, both types of liquid helium are called ''quantum fluids'', meaning they display atomic properties on a macroscopic scale<!-- ref: ibid —>.
  
 
==== Helium II state ====
 
==== Helium II state ====
Liquid helium below its lambda point begins to exhibit very  unusual characteristics, in a state called ''helium II''. Boiling of helium II is not possible due to its high [[thermal conductivity]]; heat input instead causes [[evaporation]] of the liquid directly to gas.  The isotope helium-3 also has a superfluid phase, but only at much lower temperatures; as a result, less is known about such properties in the isotope helium-3.
 
  
[[Image:helium-II-creep.png|frame|right|Helium II will "creep" along surfaces in order to find its own level - after a short while, the levels in the two containers will equalize. The [[Rollin film]] also covers the interior of the larger container; if it were not sealed, the helium II would creep out and escape.]]
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Below the lambda point, liquid helium begins to exhibit very unusual characteristics, in a state called ''helium II''. Helium II cannot be boiled because it has high thermal conductivity (high ability to conduct heat). Instead, when this liquid is heated, it evaporates directly to form gas.
Helium II is a [[superfluidity| superfluid]], a quantum-mechanical state of matter with strange properties. For example, when it flows through even capillaries of 10<sup>-7</sup> to 10<sup>-8</sup> m width it has no measurable [[viscosity]]. However, when measurements were done between two moving discs, a viscosity comparable to that of gaseous helium was observed.  Current theory explains this using the ''two-fluid model'' for Helium II.  In this model, liquid helium below the lambda point is viewed as containing a proportion of helium atoms in a [[ground state]], which are superfluid and flow with exactly zero viscosity, and a proportion of helium atoms in an excited state, which behave more like an ordinary fluid<!--http://www.yutopian.com/Yuan/TFM.html—>.
 
  
Helium II also exhibits a "creeping" effect.  When a surface extends past the level of helium II, the helium II moves along the surface, seemingly against the force of [[gravity]].  Helium II will escape from a vessel that is not sealed by creeping along the sides until it reaches a warmer region where it evaporates. It moves in a  30 [[nanometre|nm]] thick film regardless of surface material.  This film is called a [[Rollin film]] and is named after the man who first characterized this trait, [[B. V. Rollin]]<!-- ref: ''The Encyclopedia of the Chemical Elements'', page 263 —><!--http://prola.aps.org/abstract/PR/v76/i8/p1209_1—>.  As a result of this creeping behavior and helium II's ability to leak rapidly through tiny openings, it is very difficult to confine liquid helium.  Unless the container is carefully constructed, the helium II will creep along the surfaces and through valves until it reaches somewhere warmer, where it will evaporate.
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[[Image:helium-II-creep.png|frame|right|Helium II will "creep" along surfaces in order to find its own level - after a short while, the levels in the two containers will equalize. The Rollin film also covers the interior of the larger container; if it were not sealed, the helium II would creep out and escape.]]
  
In the ''fountain effect'', a chamber is constructed which is connected to a reservoir of helium II by a [[sintered]] disc through which superfluid helium leaks easily but through which non-superfluid helium cannot pass. If the interior of the container is heated, the superfluid helium changes to non-superfluid helium. In order to maintain the equilibrium fraction of superfluid helium, superfluid helium leaks through and increases the pressure, causing liquid to fountain out of the container<!--http://cryowwwebber.gsfc.nasa.gov/introduction/liquid_helium.html—>.
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Helium II is a [[superfluid]], a quantum-mechanical state of matter with strange properties. For example, when it flows through even capillaries of 10<sup>-7</sup> to 10<sup>-8</sup> m width, it has no measurable viscosity. However, when measurements were done between two moving discs, a viscosity comparable to that of gaseous helium was observed. <!--http://www.yutopian.com/Yuan/TFM.html—>
  
The thermal conductivity of helium II is greater than that of any other known substance, a million times that of helium I and several hundred times that of [[copper]]. This is because heat conduction occurs by an exceptional  quantum-mechanical mechanism. Most materials that conduct heat well have a [[valence band]] of free electrons which serve to transfer the heat. Helium II has no such valence band but nevertheless conducts heat well. The [[heat transfer|flow of heat]] is governed by [[equation]]s that are similar to the [[wave equation]] used to characterize [[sound]] propagation in air. So when heat is introduced, it will move at 20 meters per second at 1.8 K through helium II as waves in a phenomenon called ''second sound''<!-- ref: ''The Encyclopedia of the Chemical Elements'', page 263 —>.
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Helium II also exhibits a "creeping" effect. When a surface extends past the level of helium II, the helium II moves along the surface, seemingly against the force of [[gravity]]. Helium II will escape from a vessel that is not sealed by creeping along the sides until it reaches a warmer region, where it evaporates. It moves in a film that is 30 nm in thickness, regardless of surface material. This film is called a "Rollin film," named after B. V. Rollin, who first characterized this trait<!-- ref: ''The Encyclopedia of the Chemical Elements'', page 263 —> As a result of this creeping behavior and helium II's ability to leak rapidly through tiny openings, it is very difficult to confine liquid helium. Unless the container is carefully constructed, the helium II will creep along the surfaces and through valves until it reaches a warmer place and then evaporates.
  
== Electron energy levels ==
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In the ''fountain effect'', a chamber is constructed which is connected to a reservoir of helium II by a [[sintered]] disc through which superfluid helium leaks easily but through which non-superfluid helium cannot pass. If the interior of the container is heated, the superfluid helium changes to non-superfluid helium. Superfluid helium leaks through and increases the pressure, causing liquid to fountain out of the container<!--http://cryowwwebber.gsfc.nasa.gov/introduction/liquid_helium.html—>.
  
Depending on the spin orientation of the two electrons in the Helium atom, one speaks of [[parahelium]] for two anti-parallel spins (S=0) and of [[orthohelium]] for two parallel spins (S=1). For the orthohelium one of the electrons does not sit in the ground orbital (1s). [http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/quantum/helium.html]
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The thermal conductivity of helium II is greater than that of any other known substance, a million times that of helium I and several hundred times that of [[copper]]. This is because heat conduction occurs by an exceptional quantum-mechanical mechanism. When heat is introduced, it moves through helium II in the form of waves, at 20 meters per second at 1.8 K, in a phenomenon called ''second sound''<!-- ref: ''The Encyclopedia of the Chemical Elements'', page 263 -->.
  
== Applications ==
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The isotope helium-3 also has a superfluid phase, but only at much lower temperatures. As a result, less is known about such properties of helium-3.
[[Image:USGS Blimp1.jpg|thumb|right|Because of its low density, helium is the gas of choice to fill [[airship]]s such as the USGS blimp.]]
 
  
Pressurized helium is commercially available. Helium is used for many purposes that require one or more of its unique properties; low  [[boiling point]], low [[density]], low [[solubility]], high [[thermal conductivity]], or its [[inert]]ness.
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=== Isotopes ===
  
[[Airship]]s and [[balloon]]s ([[toy balloon|toy]], [[weather balloon|weather]], and [[research balloon|research]]) are inflated with helium because it is [[lighter than air]] (1&nbsp;m³ of helium will lift 1&nbsp;kg). Helium is currently preferred to [[hydrogen]] in airships because, while it is more expensive, it is not flammable and has 92.64% of the lifting power of hydrogen.
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Although there are eight known [[isotope]]s of helium, only helium-3 and helium-4 are stable. The nucleus of helium-3 contains two protons and one neutron, while that of helium-4 contains two protons and two neutrons.
  
''[[Trimix]]'', a mixture of helium, [[oxygen]], and [[nitrogen]], is used in deep-sea [[breathing gas]] systems to reduce the risk of [[nitrogen narcosis]] (high pressure [[nitrogen]] having a [[narcotic]] effect on the [[brain]]) and [[oxygen toxicity]] at high pressures. Higher pressures require a greater proportion of helium and reduced amounts of nitrogen and oxygen (every ten-meter increase in depth yields a one atmosphere increase of pressure). ''[[Heliox]]'', a mixture of helium and oxygen, and [[heliair]], a mixture of [[air]] and helium, is also used in this way. Below 600 meters (2000 ft) a mixture of hydrogen, helium, and oxygen called ''[[hydreliox]]'' is used to help prevent [[high pressure nervous syndrome]]<!-- ref: ''Nature's Building Blocks'', page 177 —>. All these uses rely on helium's very low solubility in water (the major component of blood).
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In the Earth's atmosphere, there is one He-3 atom for every million He-4<!-- ref: ''Nature's Building Blocks'', page 178 —>. Helium, however, is unusual in that its isotopic abundance varies greatly depending on its origin. In the [[interstellar medium]], the proportion of He-3 is around a hundred times higher<!-- http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/klu/asys/2002/00000045/00000002/00378626 —>. Rocks from the Earth's crust have isotope ratios varying by as much as a factor of 10; this is used in [[geology]] to study the origin of such rocks.
  
The extremely low [[boiling point]] makes helium useful as a coolant in [[magnetic resonance imaging]], [[superconducting magnet]]s,  [[cryogenics]], and to remove thermal noise from detectors used in [[astronomy]]. The extreme coldness of liquid helium is also used to produce [[superconductivity]] in some ordinary [[metal]]s such as [[lead]] (lead becomes superconductive at 7.3 K), allowing for a completely free flow of electrons in the metal.
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The most common isotope, helium-4, is produced on Earth by [[alpha decay]] of heavier radioactive elements; the alpha particles that emerge are fully ionized nuclei of helium-4. The helium-4 nucleus, consisting of two protons and two neutrons, is unusually stable. It was formed in enormous quantities during Big Bang nucleosynthesis (noted above).
  
Other uses:
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Equal mixtures of liquid helium-3 and helium-4 below 0.8 K will separate into two immiscible phases (two phases that do not mix) due to their dissimilarity (in terms of quantum statistics).<!-- ref: ''The Encyclopedia of the Chemical Elements'', page 264 —> Dilution refrigerators take advantage of the immiscibility of these two isotopes to achieve temperatures of a few millikelvins.
* Because of its high thermal conductivity and inertness, helium is used as a coolant in some [[nuclear reactor]]s (for example, [[pebble-bed reactor]]s) and in [[arc welding]] air-sensitive metals that require heavy welds.
 
* The high thermal conductivity and sound velocity of helium is also desirable in [[thermoacoustic refrigeration]]. The inertness of helium adds to the environmental advantage of this technology over conventional refrigeration systems which may contribute to ozone depleting and global warming effects.
 
* Its inertness makes it useful as a protective gas in growing [[silicon]] and [[germanium]] crystals, in [[titanium]] and [[zirconium]] production, protecting important historical documents, and in [[gas chromatography]]. This property also makes it useful in pressurizing liquid fuel [[rocket]]s (see below) and in supersonic [[wind tunnel]]s.
 
* The [[laser construction| gain medium]] of the [[helium-neon laser]] (the first gas [[laser]]) most commonly used to scan [[bar code]]s is a mixture of helium and [[neon]]<!-- ref: ''Guide to the Elements'', page 24 —>.
 
*This gas' rate of [[diffusion]] through solids is three times that of normal air, making it an excellent component in leak detection in high-[[vacuum]] equipment and high pressure containers.
 
*In [[rocket]]ry helium is used as an [[ullage motor|ullage]] medium to displace fuel and oxidizers in storage tanks and to condense hydrogen and [[oxygen]] to make [[rocket fuel]]. It is also used to purge fuel and oxidizer from ground support equipment prior to launch and to precool liquid hydrogen in [[space vehicle]]s. For example, the [[Saturn 5]] booster used in the [[Apollo program]] needed about 13 million ft³ (370,000 m³) of helium to launch<!-- ref: LANL.gov —>.
 
*Physics researchers use [[alpha particle]]s (helium nuclei) in [[particle accelerator]]s and [[nuclear reaction]] experiments. 
 
*Helium gas is used to fill the space between [[lens]]es in some [[solar telescope]]s because its extremely low [[index of refraction]] reduces the distorting effect of temperature variations in the gas filling the telescope (some telescopes are filled with [[vacuum]] instead)<!--http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1983ApOpt..22...10E&amp;db_key=AST—>.
 
*[[Radioactive decay]] of [[uranium]] and [[thorium]] produces [[alpha particle]]s that quickly become helium. This happens at a known constant rate so if the containing [[rock (geology)|rock]] or [[mineral]] can retain its helium then the [[ratio]] of helium to its radioactive parent [[atom]]s indicates its age.  Alternatively, if the helium is not well-retained, the ratio of helium-3 to helium-4 contains some of the same information, since only helium-4 is produced by radioactive decay. Use of helium in this way is called [[helium dating]].
 
  
== History ==
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There is only a trace amount of helium-3 on Earth, primarily present since the formation of the Earth, although some falls to Earth trapped in cosmic dust<!--http://www.mantleplumes.org/HeliumFundamentals.html—>. Trace amounts are also produced by the [[beta decay]] of [[tritium]]<!--http://environmentalchemistry.com/yogi/periodic/Li-pg2.html—>. In stars, however, helium-3 is more abundant, as a product of nuclear fusion. Extraplanetary material, such as [[Moon|lunar]] and [[asteroid]] regolith (loose material covering solid rock), have trace amounts of helium-3 from being bombarded by solar winds.
===Discoveries===
 
Helium was [[discovery of the chemical elements| first detected]] on [[August 18]], [[1868]] as a bright yellow line with a [[wavelength]] of  587.49 nm in the [[spectroscopy| spectrum]] of the [[chromosphere]] of the [[Sun]], by French astronomer [[Pierre Janssen]] during a total [[solar eclipse]] in [[India]]. Janssen was at first ridiculed since no element  had ever been detected in [[space]] before being found on [[Earth]]. [[October 20]]th the same year, English astronomer [[Norman Lockyer]] also observed the same  yellow line in the solar spectrum and concluded that it was caused by an unknown element after unsuccessfully testing to see if it were some new type of hydrogen. Since it was near the Fraunhofer D line he later named the new line D<sub>3</sub>,  distinguishing it from the nearby D<sub>1</sub> and D<sub>2</sub> doublet lines of [[sodium]]<!-- ref: ''The Encyclopedia of the Chemical Elements'', page 256 —>. He and English chemist [[Edward Frankland]] named the element after the Greek word for the Sun god, ''[[Helios]]'', and, assuming it was a [[metal]], gave it an -ium ending (a mistake that was never corrected).
 
  
British chemist [[William Ramsay]] isolated helium on [[March 26]], [[1895]] by treating [[cleveite]] (now known to be [[uraninite]]) with mineral [[acid]]s. Ramsay was looking for [[argon]] but noticed the yellow D<sub>3</sub> line after he removed [[nitrogen]] and [[oxygen]] from the gas liberated by the [[sulfuric acid]] he put on the cleveite sample<!-- ref: ''The Encyclopedia of the Chemical Elements'', page 257 —>. These samples were identified as helium by Lockyer and British physicist [[William Crookes]]. It was independently isolated from cleveite the same year by Swedish chemists [[Per Teodor Cleve]] and [[Abraham Langlet]] in [[Uppsala]] in [[Sweden]]. They collected enough of the gas to accurately determine its [[atomic mass|atomic weight]]<!-- ref: ''Nature's Building Blocks'', page 177 —>.
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The different formation processes of the two stable isotopes of helium produce the differing isotope abundances. These differing isotope abundances can be used to investigate the origin of rocks and the composition of the Earth's [[Mantle (geology)|mantle]]<!--http://www.mantleplumes.org/HeliumFundamentals.html—>.
  
An [[oil drilling]] operation in [[Dexter, Kansas]] created a gas [[geyser]] in [[1903]] that contained 12% by volume of an unidentified gas. American chemists [[Hamilton Cady]] and [[David McFarland]] of the [[University of Kansas]] discovered it was helium and published a paper in [[1907]] saying that helium could be extracted from [[natural gas]]<!-- ref: ''Nature's Building Blocks'', page 179 —>.  Also in 1907, [[Ernest Rutherford]] and [[Thomas Royds]] demonstrated that an [[alpha particle]] is a helium [[nucleus]].
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It is possible to produce exotic helium isotopes that rapidly decay into other substances. The shortest-lived isotope is helium-5, with a [[half-life]] of 7.6×10<sup>&minus;22</sup> second. Helium-6 decays by emitting a [[beta particle]] and has a half life of 0.8 second. Helium-7 also emits a beta particle, as well as a [[gamma ray]]. Helium-7 and helium-8 are "hyperfragments" that are created in certain [[nuclear reaction]]s<!-- ref: ''The Encyclopedia of the Chemical Elements'', page 260 —>.
  
Helium was first liquefied by Dutch physicist [[Heike Kamerlingh Onnes]] in [[1908]] in [[Leiden]] by cooling the gas to less than one [[kelvin]]. He tried to solidify it by reducing the temperature to 0.8 K but failed because helium does not have a [[triple point]] temperature where the solid, liquid and gas phases are at equilibrium<!-- ref: ''The Encyclopedia of the Chemical Elements'', page 262 —>.  It was first solidified in [[1926]] by his student [[Willem Hendrik Keesom]] who subjected helium to a similar amount of cooling as Kamerlingh Onnes but at 25 standard atmospheres of pressure.
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== Historical production and uses ==
  
In [[1938]], Russian physicist [[Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa]] discovered that liquid helium-4 has almost no [[viscosity]] at temperatures near [[absolute zero]], a phenomenon now called [[superfluid]]ity. In [[1972]], the same phenomenon was observed in liquid helium-3 by American physicists [[Douglas D. Osheroff]], [[David M. Lee]], and [[Robert C. Richardson]].
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After an oil-drilling operation in 1903 in Dexter, [[Kansas]], produced a gas geyser that would not burn, Kansas state geologist [[Erasmus Haworth]] collected samples of the escaping gas and took them back to the University of Kansas at Lawrence. There, with the help of chemists [[Hamilton Cady]] and [[David McFarland]], he discovered that the gas contained, by volume, 72 percent nitrogen, 15 percent methane (insufficient to make the gas combustible), 1 percent hydrogen, and 12 percent of an unidentifiable gas.{{fn|2}} With further analysis, Cady and McFarland discovered that 1.84 percent of the gas sample was helium.{{fn|3}} Far from being a rare element, helium was present in vast quantities under the American Great Plains, available for extraction from natural gas.
  
===Production and use===
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This put the [[United States]] in an excellent position to become the world's leading supplier of helium. Following a suggestion by Sir [[Richard Threlfall]], the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] sponsored three small experimental helium production plants during [[World War I]]. The goal was to supply barrage balloons with the non-flammable lifting gas. A total of 200,000 cubic feet (5,700 m³) of 92 percent helium was produced in the program even though only a few cubic feet (less than 100 liters) of the gas had previously been obtained<!-- ref: ''The Encyclopedia of the Chemical Elements'', page 257 —>. Some of this gas was used in the world's first helium-filled [[airship]], the U.S. Navy's C-7, which flew its maiden voyage from Hampton Roads, [[Virginia]] to Bolling Field in [[Washington, D.C.]] on December 7, 1921.
Great quantities of helium were found in the natural gas fields of the American [[Great Plains]], putting the [[United States]] in a very good position to become the leading world supplier. Following a suggestion by Sir [[Richard Threlfall]], the [[United States Navy]] sponsored three small experimental helium production plants during [[World War I]]. The goal was to supply [[barrage balloon]]s with the non-flammable lifting gas. A total of 200,000 ft³ (5700 m³) of 92% helium was produced in the program even though only a few cubic feet (less than 100 liters) of the gas had previously been obtained<!-- ref: ''The Encyclopedia of the Chemical Elements'', page 257 —>. Some of this gas was used in the world's first helium-filled airship, the U.S. Navy's [[C-7 (airship)|C-7]], which flew its maiden voyage from [[Hampton Roads, Virginia]] to [[Bolling Field]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] on [[December 7]], [[1921]].
 
  
Although the extraction process, using low-temperature gas liquefaction, was not developed in time to be significant during World War I, production continued. Helium was primarily used as a lifting gas in lighter-than-air craft. This use increased demand during World War II, as well as demands for shielded arc [[welding]]. Helium was also vital in the atomic bomb [[Manhattan Project]].
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Although the extraction process, using low-temperature gas liquefaction, was not developed in time to be significant during World War I, production continued. Helium was primarily used as a lifting gas in lighter-than-air craft. This use increased demand during World War II, as well as demands for shielded arc [[welding]]. Helium was also vital in the [[Manhattan Project]] that produced the atomic bomb.
  
The [[government of the United States]] set up the [[National Helium Reserve]] in [[1925]] at [[Amarillo, Texas]] with the goal of supplying military [[airship]]s in time of [[war]] and commercial airships in peacetime. Helium use following [[World War II]] was depressed but the reserve was expanded in the [[1950s]] to ensure a supply liquid helium as a coolant to create oxygen/hydrogen [[rocket fuel]] (among other uses) during the [[Space Race]] and [[Cold War]]. Helium use in the United States in [[1965]] was more than eight times the peak wartime consumption.
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In 1925, the U.S. government set up the [[National Helium Reserve]] at Amarillo, [[Texas]], with the goal of supplying military [[airship]]s in time of [[war]] and commercial airships in peacetime. Helium use following [[World War II]] was depressed, but the reserve was expanded in the 1950s to ensure a supply of liquid helium as a coolant when creating oxygen/hydrogen [[rocket fuel]] (among other uses) during the [[Space Race]] and [[Cold War]]. Helium use in the United States in 1965 was more than eight times the peak wartime consumption.
  
After the "Helium Acts Amendments of 1960" (Public Law 86-777), the [[United States Bureau of Mines|U.S. Bureau of Mines]] arranged for five private plants to recover helium from natural gas. For this ''helium conservation'' program, the Bureau built a 425-mile pipeline from [[Bushton, Kansas]] to connect those plants with the government's [[Cliffside]] partially depleted gasfield, near [[Amarillo, Texas]]. This helium-nitrogen mixture was injected and stored in the Cliffside gasfield until needed, when it then was further purified.
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After the "Helium Acts Amendments of 1960" (Public Law 86–777), the [[United States Bureau of Mines|U.S. Bureau of Mines]] arranged for five private plants to recover helium from natural gas. For this ''helium conservation'' program, the Bureau built a 425-mile pipeline from Bushton, Kansas, to connect those plants with the government's partially depleted Cliffside gas field near Amarillo, Texas. This helium-nitrogen mixture was injected and stored in the Cliffside gas field until needed, when it then was further purified.
  
By [[1995]] 32 billion ft³ (1 billion m³) of the gas had been collected and the reserve was US$ 1.4 billion in debt, prompting the [[Congress of the United States]] to phase out the reserve starting the next year<!-- ref: ''Nature's Building Blocks'', page 179; and ''Guide to the Elements'', page 24 —>. The resulting "Helium Privatization Act of 1996" (P.L. 104-273) directed the [[United States Department of the Interior]] to start liquidating the reserve by [[2005]]. <!-- ref: http://www.nap.edu/openbook/0309070384/html/index.html Executive Summary —>
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By 1995, a billion cubic meters of the gas had been collected and the reserve was US $1.4 billion in debt, prompting the [[Congress of the United States]] in 1996 to phase out the reserve.{{fn|4}} <!-- ref: And ''Guide to the Elements'', page 24 —> The resulting "Helium Privatization Act of 1996" (Public Law 104–273) directed the [[United States Department of the Interior|U.S. Department of the Interior]] to start liquidating the reserve by 2005.<!-- ref: http://www.nap.edu/openbook/0309070384/html/index.html Executive Summary —>
  
Helium produced before [[1945]] was about 98% pure (2% [[nitrogen]]), which was adequate for airships. In [[1945]] a small amount of 99.9% helium was produced for welding use. By [[1949]] commercial quantities of Grade A 99.995% helium were available.
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Helium produced before 1945 was about 98 percent pure (2 percent nitrogen), which was adequate for airships. In 1945, a small amount of 99.9 percent helium was produced for welding use. By 1949, commercial quantities of Grade A 99.995 percent helium were available.
  
For many years the United States produced over 90% of commercially usable helium in the world. Extraction plants created in [[Canada]], [[Poland]], [[Russia]], and other nations produced the remaining helium. In the early [[2000s]], [[Algeria]] and [[Qatar]] were added as well. Algeria quickly became the second leading producer of helium (16% of total in 2002<!-- ref: minerals.usgs.gov —>). Through this time helium consumption has increased, as well as costs.
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For many years, the United States produced over 90 percent of commercially usable helium in the world. As of 2004, over 140 million cubic meters of helium were produced annually, with 85 percent of production from the [[United States]], 10 percent from [[Algeria]], and most of the remainder from [[Russia]] and [[Poland]]<!-- ref: minerals.usgs.gov —>. The principal sources in the world are the natural gas wells in the American states of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.
  
== Occurrence ==
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Given that helium has a lower boiling point than any other element, it can be extracted from natural gas by liquefying nearly all the other elements in the mixture, at low temperature and high pressure. The resulting crude helium gas is purified by successive exposures to low temperatures, by which almost all the remaining nitrogen and other gases are precipitated out of the mixture. [[Activated charcoal]] is used as a final purification step, usually resulting in 99.995 percent pure helium<!-- ref: ''The Encyclopedia of the Chemical Elements'', page 258 —>. The principal impurity in such helium is [[neon]].
===Abundance===
 
Helium is the second most abundant element in the known [[Universe]] after [[hydrogen]] and constitutes 23% of all elemental [[matter]] measured by [[mass]] even though there are 8 times as many hydrogen [[atom]]s as helium ('elemental matter' does not include [[dark matter]] or [[dark energy]], which together may account for 96% of the Universe<!-- ref: ''Nature's Building Blocks'', page 175 —>). It is concentrated in [[star]]s, where it is formed from hydrogen by the [[nuclear fusion]] of the [[proton-proton chain reaction]] and [[CNO cycle]]. This so-called 'hydrogen burning' process provides the energy stars need to shine. According to the [[Big Bang]] model of the early development of the Universe, the vast majority of helium was formed in the first three minutes after the Big Bang. Its widespread abundance is seen as part of the evidence that supports this [[theory]].
 
  
However, in the [[Earth's atmosphere]], the concentration of helium by volume is only 5.2 parts per million at [[sea level]] and up to 15 miles (24 km), largely because most helium in the Earth's [[atmosphere]] escapes into [[space]] due to its inertness and low mass.  There is a layer in the [[heterosphere]] (a part of the Earth's upper atmosphere) at 600 miles (about 1000 km) where helium is the dominant gas (although the total pressure is very low)<!-- http://www.oma.be/BIRA-IASB/Public/Research/Thermo/Thermotxt.en.html —>.  Helium is the 71st most abundant element in the [[Crust (geology)|Earth's crust]] where it is found in 8 parts per billion (10<sup>9</sup>).  Helium only makes up 4 parts per trillion (10<sup>12</sup>) in [[seawater]]<!-- refs: ''The Elements'', page 95; ''Nature's Building Blocks'', pages 177-178; and ''The Encyclopedia of the Chemical Elements'', page 257 —>.
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== Current applications ==
  
Essentially all helium on Earth is a result of [[radioactive decay]] of elements such as [[uranium]] and [[radon]]. A type of [[radiation]] called [[alpha particle]]s are made of two [[proton]]s and two [[neutron]]s, which also makes them helium-4 nuclei. These +2 positive [[ion]]s easily gain the two [[electron]]s needed to make complete helium atoms. In this way an estimated 0.5 ft³ of helium is produced from every cubic mile of the Earth's crust (3.4 L/km<sup>3</sup>) per year <!-- ref: ''The Encyclopedia of the Chemical Elements'', page 257 —>. This [[decay product]] is found in minerals of [[uranium]] and [[thorium]], including [[cleveite]]s, [[uraninite|pitchblende]], [[carnotite]], [[monazite]] and [[beryl]]. There are also small amounts in mineral [[spring (water)|springs]], [[volcano| volcanic]] gas and meteoric [[iron]].
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[[Image:USGS Blimp1.jpg|thumb|right|Because of its low density, helium is the gas of choice to fill [[airship]]s such as this USGS blimp.]]
  
===Production===
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Helium is used for many purposes that take advantage of its unique properties, such as its low boiling point, low density, low solubility, high [[thermal conductivity]], and inertness. A number of these uses are listed below.
Helium in the crust is produced by the radioactive decay of [[uranium]] and [[thorium]] which are present in varying concentrations throughout the crust<!--http://www.mantleplumes.org/HeliumFundamentals.html—>, but helium migrates and can collect in certain areas when conditions are right. Thus the greatest concentrations (trace amounts up to 7% by volume) of helium on the planet are in [[natural gas]] fields, from which most commercial helium is derived. [[As of 2002]] over 100 million m³ (3.5 billion ft³) were produced annually with 80% of production from the [[United States]], 16% from [[Algeria]], and most of the rest from [[Russia]]<!-- ref: minerals.usgs.gov —>. The principal source for U.S. production is the natural gas wells of the [[U.S. state]]s of [[Texas]], [[Oklahoma]], [[Arizona]] and [[Kansas]]. Helium is also produced in [[Canada]], [[Poland]], the [[People's Republic of China]], and [[Qatar]].
 
  
Since helium has a lower boiling point than any other element, low temperature and high pressure are used to liquefy nearly all the other gases (mostly [[nitrogen]] and  [[hydrocarbon]]s such as [[methane]]) from natural gas in order to extract gaseous helium (the general process is called [[fractional distillation]]). The resulting crude helium gas is subjected to a process of purification in which almost all of the remaining nitrogen and other gases are precipitated out of the mixture through successive exposures to lowering temperatures. [[Activated charcoal]] is used as a final purification step, usually resulting in 99.995% pure Grade A helium<!-- ref: ''The Encyclopedia of the Chemical Elements'', page 258 —>. The principal impurity in Grade A helium is [[neon]].
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* As helium is lighter than air, airships and balloons are inflated with helium for lift. In airships, helium is preferred over hydrogen for it is not flammable and has 92.64 percent of the lifting power of hydrogen.
  
Diffusion of crude natural gas through special semi-[[permeability|permeable]] membranes and other barriers is another method to recover and/or purify helium. Helium can also be synthesized by bombardment of [[lithium]]-6 or [[boron]] with high-velocity [[neutron]]s in a [[nuclear reactor]] to produce He-4 and [[tritium]]. The tritium decays with a [[half life]] of 12.5 years to produce He-3. This method of production, however, is not economically viable&mdash;at least for making normal commercial-grade helium. Fusion in exploding [[hydrogen bomb]]s creates helium as well.
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* Given its inertness and low solubility in water, helium is a component of air mixtures used in deep-sea breathing systems to reduce the high-pressure risk of [[nitrogen narcosis]], decompression sickness, and [[oxygen toxicity]]. For these breathing systems, helium may be mixed with (a) [[oxygen]] and [[nitrogen]] ("Trimix"), (b) oxygen alone ("Heliox"), or (c) hydrogen and oxygen ("Hydreliox").
  
== Isotopes ==
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* The extremely low melting and boiling points of helium make it ideal for use as a coolant in [[magnetic resonance imaging]], superconducting magnets, and [[cryogenics]]. Liquid helium is used to produce [[superconductivity]] in some ordinary metals (such as [[lead]]), allowing for completely free flow of electrons in the metal.
Although there are eight known [[isotope]]s of helium, only [[helium-3]] and [[helium-4]] are [[stable isotope| stable]].  In the Earth's atmosphere, there is one He-3 atom for every million He-4<!-- ref: ''Nature's Building Blocks'', page 178 —>.  However, helium is unusual in that its isotopic abundance varies greatly depending on its origin. In the [[interstellar medium]], the proportion of He-3 is around a hundred times  higher<!-- http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/klu/asys/2002/00000045/00000002/00378626 —>.  Rocks from the Earth's crust have isotope ratios varying by as much as a factor of ten; this is used in [[geology]] to study the origin of such rocks.
 
  
The most common isotope, helium-4, is produced on Earth by [[alpha decay]] of heavier radioactive elements; the [[alpha particle]]s that emerge are fully ionized helium-4 nuclei. Helium-4 is an unusually stable nucleus because its [[nucleon]]s are arranged into [[shell model|complete shells]]. It was also formed in enormous quantities during [[Big Bang nucleosynthesis]], and its abundance serves as a test of cosmological models.
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* Because helium is inert, it is used as a protective gas in growing [[silicon]] and [[germanium]] crystals, in [[titanium]] and [[zirconium]] production, in [[gas chromatography]], and in providing an atmosphere suitable for protecting historical documents. Its inertness also makes it useful in supersonic [[wind tunnel]]s.
  
Equal mixtures of liquid He-3 and He-4 below 0.8 K will separate into two immiscible phases due to their dissimilarity (they follow different [[quantum statistics]]: He-4 atoms are [[boson]]s while He-3 atoms are [[fermion]]s).<!-- ref: ''The Encyclopedia of the Chemical Elements'', page 264 —> There is only a trace amount of helium-3 on Earth, primarily present since the formation of the Earth, although some falls to Earth trapped in cosmic dust<!--http://www.mantleplumes.org/HeliumFundamentals.html—>.  Trace amounts are also produced by the [[beta decay]] of [[tritium]]<!--http://environmentalchemistry.com/yogi/periodic/Li-pg2.html—>.  In [[star]]s, however, helium-3 is more abundant, a product of [[nuclear fusion]]. Extraplanetary material, such as [[Moon| lunar]] and [[asteroid]] [[regolith]], have trace amounts of helium-3 from being bombarded by [[solar wind]]s.
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* Based on its inertness and high [[thermal conductivity]], helium is used as a coolant in some [[nuclear reactors]] (such as pebble-bed reactors) and in [[arc welding]].
  
The different formation processes of the two stable isotopes of helium produce the differing isotope abundances. These differing isotope abundances can be used to investigate the origin of rocks and the composition of the Earth's [[mantle]]<!--http://www.mantleplumes.org/HeliumFundamentals.html—>.
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* In [[rocketry]], helium is used as an [[ullage motor|ullage]] medium to displace fuel and oxidizers in storage tanks and to condense [[hydrogen]] and [[oxygen]] to make [[rocket fuel]]. It is also used to purge fuel and oxidizer from ground support equipment prior to launch and to precool liquid hydrogen in [[space vehicle]]s<!-- ref: LANL.gov —>.
  
It is possible to produce [[exotic helium isotopes]], which rapidly decay into other substances. The shortest-lived isotope is helium-5 with a [[half-life]] of 7.6×10<sup>&minus;22</sup> second. Helium-6 decays by emitting a [[beta particle]] and has a half life of 0.8 second. Helium-7 also emits a beta particle as well as a [[gamma ray]]. Helium-7 and helium-8 are hyperfragments that are created in certain [[nuclear reaction]]s<!-- ref: ''The Encyclopedia of the Chemical Elements'', page 260 >.
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* Because it [[diffusion|diffuse]]s through solids at a rate three times that of air, helium is useful for detecting leaks in high-vacuum equipment and high-pressure containers.
  
==Vocal effect and health precautions==  
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== Precautions ==
The voice of a person who has inhaled helium temporarily sounds high-pitched, resembling those of the [[cartoon]] characters ''[[Alvin and the Chipmunks]]'' (although their voices were produced by shifting the pitch of normal voices). This is because the [[speed of sound]] in helium is nearly three times that in air. As a result, when helium is inhaled there is a corresponding increase in the [[resonant frequency| resonant frequencies]] of the [[vocal tract]]<!-- ref: ''Nature's Building Blocks'', page 177 —>. The higher perceived pitch is only due to a different frequency shaping of the voice, the [[fundamental frequency]] of the [[vocal cords]] remains more or less the same<!--http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/PHYSICS_!/SPEECH_HELIUM/speech.html—>.
 
  
Although the vocal effect of inhaling helium may be amusing, it can be dangerous if done to excess. The reason is not due to toxicity or any property of helium but simply due to it displacing [[oxygen]] needed for normal [[respiration (physiology)|respiration]]. One must be aware that in [[mammals]] (with the notable exception of [[Pinniped|seal]]s) the breathing reflex is not triggered by insufficient oxygen but rather excess of [[carbon dioxide]]. [[Unconsciousness]], [[brain damage]] and even [[asphyxiation]] followed by [[death]] may result in extreme cases. Also, if helium is inhaled directly from pressurized cylinders the high flow rate can fatally rupture [[lung]] tissue.
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The voice of a person who has inhaled helium temporarily sounds high-pitched, resembling those of the [[cartoon]] characters ''Alvin and the Chipmunks'' (although their voices were produced by shifting the pitch of normal voices). This is because the speed of [[sound]] in helium is nearly three times that in air. Although this effect may be amusing, it can be dangerous if done in excess, because the helium displaces [[oxygen]] needed for normal [[respiration (physiology)|respiration]]. Unconsciousness, brain damage, and even asphyxiation followed by [[death]] may result in extreme cases. Also, typical commercial helium may contain unhealthy contaminants. If helium is inhaled directly from pressurized cylinders, the high flow rate can fatally rupture [[lung]] tissue.
  
Neutral helium at standard conditions is non-toxic, plays no biological role and is found in trace amounts in [[human]] [[blood]]. At high pressures, a mixture of helium and oxygen ([[heliox]]) can lead to [[high pressure nervous syndrome]]; a small proportion of nitrogen can alleviate the problem<!--http://www.scuba-doc.com/HPNS.html—>.
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Although neutral helium at standard conditions is nontoxic, a high-pressure mixture of helium and oxygen (Heliox) can lead to high-pressure nervous syndrome. A small proportion of nitrogen can alleviate the problem<!--http://www.scuba-doc.com/HPNS.html—>.
  
Containers of helium gas at 5 to 10 K should be treated as if they have liquid inside<!-- ref: LANL.gov —>. This is due to the rapid and large increases in [[pressure]] and, if allowed, [[volume]] that occur when helium gas at that temperature is warmed to [[room temperature]].
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Containers of helium gas at 5 to 10 K should be treated as if they have liquid inside<!-- ref: LANL.gov —>. This is due to the rapid and large increases in pressure and volume that occur when helium gas at that temperature is warmed to room temperature.
  
[[Sulfur hexafluoride]] has the opposite effect on the speed of sound as helium. It slows down the speed of sound to about one third of the speed of sound in air. It also non-toxic, like helium.
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==References==
  
==References==
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<div class="references-small">
;Prose
 
 
<small>Specific references are indicated by comments in the article source</small>
 
<small>Specific references are indicated by comments in the article source</small>
 +
 
*''The Encyclopedia of the Chemical Elements'', edited by Cifford A. Hampel, "Helium" entry by L. W. Brandt (New York; Reinhold Book Corporation; 1968; pages 256-267) Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 68-29938
 
*''The Encyclopedia of the Chemical Elements'', edited by Cifford A. Hampel, "Helium" entry by L. W. Brandt (New York; Reinhold Book Corporation; 1968; pages 256-267) Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 68-29938
*Nature's Building Blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements'', by John Emsley (New York; Oxford University Press; 2001; pages 175-179) ISBN 0-19-850340-7
+
* Emsley, John. ''Nature's Building Blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. Pages 175–179. ISBN 0-19-850340-7
*Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL.gov): Periodic Table, "[http://periodic.lanl.gov/elements/2.html Helium]" (viewed 10 October 2002 and 25 March 2005)
+
*Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL.gov): Periodic Table, "[http://periodic.lanl.gov/elements/2.html Helium]" (viewed October 10, 2002; March 25, 2005; May 31, 2006)
 
*''Guide to the Elements: Revised Edition'', by Albert Stwertka (New York; Oxford University Press; 1998; pages 22-24) ISBN 0-19-512708-0
 
*''Guide to the Elements: Revised Edition'', by Albert Stwertka (New York; Oxford University Press; 1998; pages 22-24) ISBN 0-19-512708-0
 
*''The Elements: Third Edition'', by John Emsley (New York; Oxford University Press; 1998; pages 94-95) ISBN 0-19-855818-X
 
*''The Elements: Third Edition'', by John Emsley (New York; Oxford University Press; 1998; pages 94-95) ISBN 0-19-855818-X
*United States Geological Survey (usgs.gov): [http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/helium/heliumcs04.pdf Mineral Information for Helium] (PDF) (viewed 31 March 2005)
+
*United States Geological Survey (usgs.gov): [http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/helium/heliumcs04.pdf Mineral Information for Helium] (PDF) (viewed March 31, 2005; May 31, 2006)
*''[http://www.oma.be/BIRA-IASB/Public/Research/Thermo/Thermotxt.en.html The thermosphere: a part of the heterosphere]'', by J. Vercheval (viewed 1 Apr 2005)
+
*''Isotopic Composition and Abundance of Interstellar Neutral Helium Based on Direct Measurements'', Zastenker G.N. ''et al.'', [http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/klu/asys/2002/00000045/00000002/00378626], published in [http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/klu/asys Astrophysics], April 2002, vol. 45, no. 2, pp. 131-142(12) (viewed May 31, 2006)
*''Isotopic Composition and Abundance of Interstellar Neutral Helium Based on Direct Measurements'', Zastenker G.N. ''et al.'', [http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/klu/asys/2002/00000045/00000002/00378626], published in [http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/klu/asys Astrophysics], April 2002, vol. 45, no. 2, pp. 131-142(12)
+
*''[http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/105558571/ABSTRACT Dynamic and thermodynamic properties of solid helium in the reduced all-neighbours approximation of the self-consistent phonon theory]'', C. Malinowska-Adamska, P. Sŀoma, J. Tomaszewski, physica status solidi (b), Volume 240, Issue 1 , Pages 55 - 67; Published Online: September 19, 2003 (viewed May 31, 2006)
*''[http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/105558571/ABSTRACT Dynamic and thermodynamic properties of solid helium in the reduced all-neighbours approximation of the self-consistent phonon theory]'', C. Malinowska-Adamska, P. Sŀoma, J. Tomaszewski, physica status solidi (b), Volume 240, Issue 1 , Pages 55 - 67; Published Online: 19 Sep 2003
+
*''[http://www.yutopian.com/Yuan/TFM.html The Two Fluid Model of Superfluid Helium]'', S. Yuan, Yutopian Online (viewed April 4, 2005; May 31, 2006)
*''[http://www.yutopian.com/Yuan/TFM.html The Two Fluid Model of Superfluid Helium]'', S. Yuan, (viewed 4 Apr 2005)
+
*''Rollin Film Rates in Liquid Helium'', Henry A. Fairbank and C. T. Lane, Phys. Rev. 76, 1209&ndash;1211 (1949), [http://prola.aps.org/abstract/PR/v76/i8/p1209_1 from the online archive] (viewed May 31, 2006)
*''Rollin Film Rates in Liquid Helium'', Henry A. Fairbank and C. T. Lane, Phys. Rev. 76, 1209&ndash;1211 (1949), [http://prola.aps.org/abstract/PR/v76/i8/p1209_1 from the online archive]
+
*''[http://cryowwwebber.gsfc.nasa.gov/introduction/liquid_helium.html Introduction to Liquid Helium]'', at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (viewed April 4, 2005)
*''[http://cryowwwebber.gsfc.nasa.gov/introduction/liquid_helium.html Introduction to Liquid Helium]'', at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (viewed 4 Apr 2005)
+
*''[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1983ApOpt..22...10E&amp;db_key=AST Tests of vacuum VS helium in a solar telescope]'', Engvold, O.; Dunn, R. B.; Smartt, R. N.; Livingston, W. C.. Applied Optics, vol. 22, January 1, 1983, p. 10-12. (viewed abstract on May 31, 2006)
* ''[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1983ApOpt..22...10E&amp;db_key=AST Tests of vacuum VS helium in a solar telescope]'', Engvold, O.; Dunn, R. B.; Smartt, R. N.; Livingston, W. C.. Applied Optics, vol. 22, Jan. 1, 1983, p. 10-12.
+
*Bureau of Mines (1967). ''Minerals yearbook mineral fuels Year 1965, Volume II (1967)''. U. S. Government Printing Office.
* {{Book reference | Author=Bureau of Mines | Title=Minerals yearbook mineral fuels Year 1965, Volume II (1967) | Publisher=U. S. Government Printing Office | Year=1967 | ID=}}
+
*''[http://www.mantleplumes.org/HeliumFundamentals.html Helium: Fundamental models]'', Don L. Anderson, G. R. Foulger & Anders Meibom (viewed April 5, 2005; May 31, 2006)
*''[http://www.mantleplumes.org/HeliumFundamentals.html Helium: Fundamental models]'', Don L. Anderson, G. R. Foulger & Anders Meibom (viewed 5 Apr 2005)
+
*''[http://www.scuba-doc.com/HPNS.html High Pressure Nervous Syndrome]'', Diving Medicine Online (viewed June 1, 2006)
*''[http://www.scuba-doc.com/HPNS.html High Pressure Nervous Syndrome]'', Diving Medicine Online (viewed 5 Apr 2005)
 
  
 
;Table
 
;Table
 
* ''[http://chartofthenuclides.com/default.html Nuclides and Isotopes] Fourteenth Edition: Chart of the Nuclides'', General Electric Company, 1989
 
* ''[http://chartofthenuclides.com/default.html Nuclides and Isotopes] Fourteenth Edition: Chart of the Nuclides'', General Electric Company, 1989
*WebElements.com and EnvironmentalChemistry.com per the guidelines at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Elements Wikipedia's WikiProject Elements] (viewed 10 October 2002)
+
*WebElements.com and EnvironmentalChemistry.com per the guidelines at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Elements Wikipedia's WikiProject Elements] (viewed October 10, 2002)
 +
</div>
 +
 
 +
==Notes==
 +
* {{fnb|1}} Emsley, ''Nature's Building Blocks'', p. 177
 +
 
 +
* {{fnb|2}} Emsley, ''Nature's Building Blocks'', p. 179
 +
 
 +
* {{fnb|3}} American Chemical Society (2004). [http://acswebcontent.acs.org/landmarks/landmarks/helium/helium.html The Discovery of Helium in Natural Gas] URL accessed on 2006-05-19.
 +
 
 +
* {{fnb|4}} Emsley, ''Nature's Building Blocks'', p. 179
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==
;General
+
All links retrieved December 14, 2017.
 +
 
 
* [http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/He/key.html WebElements: Helium]
 
* [http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/He/key.html WebElements: Helium]
 
* [http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele002.html It's Elemental &ndash; Helium]
 
* [http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele002.html It's Elemental &ndash; Helium]
 
+
* [http://theodoregray.com/PeriodicTable/Elements/002/ Photos and applications of Helium]
;More detail
+
* [http://boojum.hut.fi/research/theory/helium.html Helium] (at the Helsinki University of Technology; includes pressure-temperature phase diagrams for helium-3 and helium-4)
* [http://boojum.hut.fi/research/theory/helium.html Helium] at the [[Helsinki University of Technology]]; includes pressure-temperature phase diagrams for helium-3 and helium-4.
 
 
 
;Miscellaneous
 
* [http://www.cganet.com/N2O/helium_safety.asp Helium Safety] regarding inhalation
 
* [http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/PHYSICS_!/SPEECH_HELIUM/speech.html Physics in Speech] with audio samples that demonstrate the unchanged voice pitch
 
* [http://www.du.edu/~jcalvert/phys/helium.htm Article about Helium and other noble gases]
 
* [http://www.fluidmech.net/msc/super/super-f.htm this article contains phase diagram for helium]
 
  
 
[[Category:Physical sciences]]
 
[[Category:Physical sciences]]
 
[[Category:Chemistry]]
 
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Noble gases]]
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[[Category:Chemical elements]]
  
[[af:Helium]]
 
[[ar:هيليوم]]
 
[[bg:Хелий]]
 
[[ca:Heli]]
 
[[cs:Helium]]
 
[[cy:Heliwm]]
 
[[da:Helium]]
 
[[de:Helium]]
 
[[et:Heelium]]
 
[[el:Ήλιο]]
 
[[es:Helio]]
 
[[eo:Heliumo]]
 
[[eu:Helio]]
 
[[fr:Hélium]]
 
[[ga:Héiliam]]
 
[[gl:Helio (elemento)]]
 
[[gu:હીલિયમ]]
 
[[ko:헬륨]]
 
[[hr:Helij]]
 
[[io:Helio]]
 
[[id:Helium]]
 
[[is:Helín]]
 
[[it:Elio]]
 
[[he:הליום]]
 
[[ku:Helyûm]]
 
[[la:Helium]]
 
[[lv:Hēlijs]]
 
[[lt:Helis]]
 
[[hu:Hélium]]
 
[[mk:Хелиум]]
 
[[mi:Haumāmā]]
 
[[ms:Helium]]
 
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[[ja:ヘリウム]]
 
[[no:Helium]]
 
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[[oc:Eli]]
 
[[pl:Hel (pierwiastek)]]
 
[[pt:Hélio]]
 
[[ru:Гелий]]
 
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Latest revision as of 15:19, 25 January 2023


2 hydrogenheliumlithium
-

He

Ne
He-TableImage.png
periodic table
General
Name, Symbol, Number helium, He, 2
Chemical series noble gases
Group, Period, Block 18, 1, s
Appearance colorless
He,2.jpg
Atomic mass 4.002602(2) g/mol
Electron configuration 1s2
Electrons per shell 2
Physical properties
Phase gas
Density (0 °C, 101.325 kPa)
0.1786 g/L
Melting point (at 2.5 MPa) 0.95 K
(-272.2 °C, -458.0 °F)
Boiling point 4.22 K
(-268.93 °C, -452.07 °F)
Critical point 5.19 K, 0.227 MPa
Heat of fusion 0.0138 kJ/mol
Heat of vaporization 0.0829 kJ/mol
Heat capacity (25 °C) 20.786 J/(mol·K)
Vapor pressure
P/Pa 1 10 100 1 k 10 k 100 k
at T/K         3 4
Atomic properties
Crystal structure hexagonal or bcc
Ionization energies 1st: 2372.3 kJ/mol
2nd: 5250.5 kJ/mol
Atomic radius (calc.) 31 pm
Covalent radius 32 pm
Van der Waals radius 140 pm
Miscellaneous
Thermal conductivity (300 K) 151.3 mW/(m·K)
CAS registry number 7440-59-7
Notable isotopes
Main article: Isotopes of helium
iso NA half-life DM DE (MeV) DP
3He 0.000137%* He is stable with 1 neutron
4He 99.999863%* He is stable with 2 neutrons
*Atmospheric value, abundance may differ elsewhere.

Helium (chemical symbol He, atomic number 2) is a minor component of the Earth's atmosphere, but it is the second most abundant element in the universe and second lightest of all known elements. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, nontoxic, and nearly inert gas that heads the noble gas series in the periodic table. Its boiling and melting points are the lowest among the elements, and extreme conditions are needed to convert it into the liquid and solid forms. Extreme conditions are also needed to create the small handful of helium compounds, which are all unstable at ordinary temperatures and pressures.

In the present-day universe, almost all new helium is created as a result of the nuclear fusion of hydrogen in stars. On Earth, it is produced by the radioactive decay of much heavier elements. After its creation, part of it is trapped with natural gas, at concentrations of up to 7 percent by volume.

It is commonly known that helium is used for providing lift for balloons and airships. In addition, it is used as a component in deep-sea breathing systems, as a coolant for superconducting magnets, and as a protective gas for many industrial processes such as arc welding and growing silicon wafers. Researchers use helium to study materials at very low temperatures, in a field called cryogenics, and in helium dating of radioactive rocks and minerals. Inhaling a small volume of the gas temporarily changes the tonal quality and pitch of one's voice. It can, however, be dangerous if done in excess.

Abundance in nature

Helium is the second most abundant element in the known universe, after hydrogen, constituting 23 percent of the elemental mass of the universe. It is concentrated in stars, where it is formed by two sets of nuclear fusion reactions: one involving the "proton-proton chain reaction" and the other involving the "carbon-nitrogen-oxygen cycle." According to the Big Bang model of the early development of the universe, the vast majority of helium was formed between one and three minutes after the Big Bang, at a stage known as the Big Bang nucleosynthesis. Based on this theory, the abundance of helium serves as a test of cosmological models.

In the Earth's atmosphere, the concentration of helium by volume is only 5.2 parts per million, largely because most helium in the Earth's atmosphere escapes into space due to its inertness and low mass. In the Earth's heterosphere (a part of the upper atmosphere), helium and other lighter gases are the most abundant elements.

Nearly all helium on Earth is a result of radioactive decay. The decay product is found in minerals of uranium and thorium, including cleveites, pitchblende, carnotite, monazite and beryl. These minerals emit alpha particles, which consist of helium nuclei (He2+), to which electrons readily attach themselves. In this way, an estimated 3.4 liters of helium are generated per year per cubic kilometer of the Earth's crust.

The concentration of helium in the Earth's crust is 8 parts per billion; in seawater, it is only 4 parts per trillion. There are also small amounts in mineral springs, volcanic gas, and meteoric iron. The greatest concentrations of helium on our planet are in natural gas, from which most commercial helium is derived.

Scientific discoveries

Pierre Janssen (1824–1907), a French astronomer, was the first to detect evidence of a previously unknown element (helium) in the Sun.

On August 18, 1868, during a total solar eclipse in Guntur, India, French astronomer Pierre Janssen observed a bright yellow line with a wavelength of 587.49 nanometers (nm) in the spectrum of the Sun's chromosphere. This line was the first evidence that the Sun contained a previously unknown element, but Janssen was ridiculed because no element had been detected in a celestial body before being found on Earth. On October 20 of the same year, English astronomer Norman Lockyer observed a yellow line of the same wavelength in the solar spectrum. He named it the D3 line (Fraunhofer line), for it was near the known D1 and D2 lines of sodium. He concluded that it was caused by an element in the Sun unknown on Earth. He and English chemist Edward Frankland named the element with the Greek word for the Sun, ἥλιος (helios).

On March 26, 1895, British chemist William Ramsay isolated helium on Earth by treating the mineral cleveite with mineral acids. Ramsay was looking for argon, but after separating nitrogen and oxygen from the gas liberated by sulfuric acid, he noticed a bright-yellow line that matched the D3 line observed in the spectrum of the Sun.. These samples were identified as helium by Lockyer and British physicist William Crookes. That same year, chemists Per Teodor Cleve and Abraham Langlet in Uppsala, Sweden, independently isolated helium from cleveite. They collected enough of the gas to accurately determine its atomic weight.1

In 1907, Ernest Rutherford and Thomas Royds demonstrated that an alpha particle (emitted by radioactive materials) is a helium nucleus. In 1908, Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes was the first to liquefy helium by cooling the gas to below 1 Kelvin (K). He tried to solidify it by further reducing the temperature, but he failed because helium does not have a "triple point" temperature where the solid, liquid, and gas phases are in equilibrium with one another. His student, Willem Hendrik Keesom, was the first to solidify helium in 1926, by subjecting it to a pressure of 25 atmospheres.

In 1938, Russian physicist Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa discovered that helium-4 has almost no viscosity at temperatures near absolute zero, a phenomenon now called superfluidity. In 1972, the same phenomenon was observed with helium-3, by American physicists Douglas D. Osheroff, David M. Lee, and Robert C. Richardson.

Notable characteristics

Gas and plasma phases

In the periodic table, helium is at the head of the noble gas series in group 18 (former group 8A), and it is placed in period 1, along with hydrogen. Unlike hydrogen, helium is extremely inert and is the least reactive member of the noble gases. As a result, it is monatomic (consists of single atoms of He) under virtually all conditions.

The boiling and melting points of helium are the lowest among the elements. For this reason, helium exists as a gas except under extreme conditions. Gaseous helium is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and nontoxic. It is less water soluble than any other gas known, and its rate of diffusion through solids is three times that of air and around 65 percent that of hydrogen. The index of refraction of helium (ratio of speed of light in helium to that in a vacuum) is closer to unity than any other gas.

Helium's thermal conductivity (ability to conduct heat) is greater than that of any gas except hydrogen, and its specific heat (amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of helium by 1 K) is unusually high. At normal temperatures, helium heats up when allowed to expand freely; but below about 40 K (Kelvin), it cools during free expansion. Once it has been cooled below this temperature, helium can be liquefied through expansion cooling.

Helium is an electrical insulator unless ionized. As with the other noble gases, it has metastable energy levels that allow it to remain ionized in an electrical discharge when the voltage is kept below its ionization potential (that is, below the energy required to strip the He atom of an electron).

Helium is chemically unreactive under all normal conditions. Extreme conditions are needed to create the small handful of helium compounds, which are all unstable at standard temperature and pressure (0° C and 100 kilopascals pressure).

For instance, helium can form unstable compounds with tungsten, iodine, fluorine, sulfur, and phosphorus when it is subjected to an electric glow discharge, through electron bombardment, or is otherwise a plasma. HeNe, HgHe10, WHe2, and the molecular ions He2+, He2++, HeH+, and HeD+ have been created in this manner. This technique has also allowed the production of the neutral molecules He2 and HgHe .

Throughout the universe, helium is found mostly in a plasma state whose properties are quite different from those of molecular helium. As a plasma, helium's electrons and protons are not bound together, resulting in very high electrical conductivity, even when the gas is only partially ionized. The charged particles are highly influenced by magnetic and electric fields. For example, in the solar wind together with ionized hydrogen, they interact with the Earth's magnetosphere giving rise to the aurora phenomenon ("Northern lights").

Solid and liquid phases

Unlike any other element, helium fails to solidify and remains a liquid down to absolute zero (0 K) at normal pressures. Solid helium requires a temperature of 1–1.5 K (about −272 °C or −457 °F) and about 26 standard atmospheres (2.6 MPa) of pressure. It is often hard to distinguish solid from liquid helium because the two phases have nearly the same refractive index. The solid form is colorless and almost invisible; it has a crystalline structure with a sharp melting point; and it is highly compressible—about 50 times more compressible than water.

Helium-4 (the most common isotope of helium) has two different liquid states, helium I and helium II, depending on the temperature. The behavior of these two states is important to researchers studying quantum mechanics (particularly the phenomenon of superfluidity) and those studying superconductivity and other properties of matter at temperatures near 0 K.

Helium I state

Below its boiling point of 4.21 K and above a temperature of 2.1768 K (called the "lambda point" for helium), the helium-4 isotope exists in a normal, colorless liquid state, called helium I. Like other cryogenic liquids, helium I boils when heat is added to it. It also contracts when its temperature is lowered until it reaches the lambda point, when it stops boiling and suddenly expands. The rate of expansion decreases below the lambda point until about 1 K is reached; at which point expansion completely stops and helium I starts to contract again.

Helium I has a gas-like refractive index of 1.026, which makes its surface so hard to see that floats of Styrofoam are often used to show where the surface is. This colorless liquid has a very low viscosity and a density one-eighth that of water, which is only one-fourth the value expected from classical physics. Quantum mechanics is needed to explain this property. For this reason, both types of liquid helium are called quantum fluids, meaning they display atomic properties on a macroscopic scale.

Helium II state

Below the lambda point, liquid helium begins to exhibit very unusual characteristics, in a state called helium II. Helium II cannot be boiled because it has high thermal conductivity (high ability to conduct heat). Instead, when this liquid is heated, it evaporates directly to form gas.

Helium II will "creep" along surfaces in order to find its own level - after a short while, the levels in the two containers will equalize. The Rollin film also covers the interior of the larger container; if it were not sealed, the helium II would creep out and escape.

Helium II is a superfluid, a quantum-mechanical state of matter with strange properties. For example, when it flows through even capillaries of 10-7 to 10-8 m width, it has no measurable viscosity. However, when measurements were done between two moving discs, a viscosity comparable to that of gaseous helium was observed.

Helium II also exhibits a "creeping" effect. When a surface extends past the level of helium II, the helium II moves along the surface, seemingly against the force of gravity. Helium II will escape from a vessel that is not sealed by creeping along the sides until it reaches a warmer region, where it evaporates. It moves in a film that is 30 nm in thickness, regardless of surface material. This film is called a "Rollin film," named after B. V. Rollin, who first characterized this trait As a result of this creeping behavior and helium II's ability to leak rapidly through tiny openings, it is very difficult to confine liquid helium. Unless the container is carefully constructed, the helium II will creep along the surfaces and through valves until it reaches a warmer place and then evaporates.

In the fountain effect, a chamber is constructed which is connected to a reservoir of helium II by a sintered disc through which superfluid helium leaks easily but through which non-superfluid helium cannot pass. If the interior of the container is heated, the superfluid helium changes to non-superfluid helium. Superfluid helium leaks through and increases the pressure, causing liquid to fountain out of the container.

The thermal conductivity of helium II is greater than that of any other known substance, a million times that of helium I and several hundred times that of copper. This is because heat conduction occurs by an exceptional quantum-mechanical mechanism. When heat is introduced, it moves through helium II in the form of waves, at 20 meters per second at 1.8 K, in a phenomenon called second sound.

The isotope helium-3 also has a superfluid phase, but only at much lower temperatures. As a result, less is known about such properties of helium-3.

Isotopes

Although there are eight known isotopes of helium, only helium-3 and helium-4 are stable. The nucleus of helium-3 contains two protons and one neutron, while that of helium-4 contains two protons and two neutrons.

In the Earth's atmosphere, there is one He-3 atom for every million He-4. Helium, however, is unusual in that its isotopic abundance varies greatly depending on its origin. In the interstellar medium, the proportion of He-3 is around a hundred times higher. Rocks from the Earth's crust have isotope ratios varying by as much as a factor of 10; this is used in geology to study the origin of such rocks.

The most common isotope, helium-4, is produced on Earth by alpha decay of heavier radioactive elements; the alpha particles that emerge are fully ionized nuclei of helium-4. The helium-4 nucleus, consisting of two protons and two neutrons, is unusually stable. It was formed in enormous quantities during Big Bang nucleosynthesis (noted above).

Equal mixtures of liquid helium-3 and helium-4 below 0.8 K will separate into two immiscible phases (two phases that do not mix) due to their dissimilarity (in terms of quantum statistics). Dilution refrigerators take advantage of the immiscibility of these two isotopes to achieve temperatures of a few millikelvins.

There is only a trace amount of helium-3 on Earth, primarily present since the formation of the Earth, although some falls to Earth trapped in cosmic dust. Trace amounts are also produced by the beta decay of tritium. In stars, however, helium-3 is more abundant, as a product of nuclear fusion. Extraplanetary material, such as lunar and asteroid regolith (loose material covering solid rock), have trace amounts of helium-3 from being bombarded by solar winds.

The different formation processes of the two stable isotopes of helium produce the differing isotope abundances. These differing isotope abundances can be used to investigate the origin of rocks and the composition of the Earth's mantle.

It is possible to produce exotic helium isotopes that rapidly decay into other substances. The shortest-lived isotope is helium-5, with a half-life of 7.6×10−22 second. Helium-6 decays by emitting a beta particle and has a half life of 0.8 second. Helium-7 also emits a beta particle, as well as a gamma ray. Helium-7 and helium-8 are "hyperfragments" that are created in certain nuclear reactions.

Historical production and uses

After an oil-drilling operation in 1903 in Dexter, Kansas, produced a gas geyser that would not burn, Kansas state geologist Erasmus Haworth collected samples of the escaping gas and took them back to the University of Kansas at Lawrence. There, with the help of chemists Hamilton Cady and David McFarland, he discovered that the gas contained, by volume, 72 percent nitrogen, 15 percent methane (insufficient to make the gas combustible), 1 percent hydrogen, and 12 percent of an unidentifiable gas.2 With further analysis, Cady and McFarland discovered that 1.84 percent of the gas sample was helium.3 Far from being a rare element, helium was present in vast quantities under the American Great Plains, available for extraction from natural gas.

This put the United States in an excellent position to become the world's leading supplier of helium. Following a suggestion by Sir Richard Threlfall, the U.S. Navy sponsored three small experimental helium production plants during World War I. The goal was to supply barrage balloons with the non-flammable lifting gas. A total of 200,000 cubic feet (5,700 m³) of 92 percent helium was produced in the program even though only a few cubic feet (less than 100 liters) of the gas had previously been obtained. Some of this gas was used in the world's first helium-filled airship, the U.S. Navy's C-7, which flew its maiden voyage from Hampton Roads, Virginia to Bolling Field in Washington, D.C. on December 7, 1921.

Although the extraction process, using low-temperature gas liquefaction, was not developed in time to be significant during World War I, production continued. Helium was primarily used as a lifting gas in lighter-than-air craft. This use increased demand during World War II, as well as demands for shielded arc welding. Helium was also vital in the Manhattan Project that produced the atomic bomb.

In 1925, the U.S. government set up the National Helium Reserve at Amarillo, Texas, with the goal of supplying military airships in time of war and commercial airships in peacetime. Helium use following World War II was depressed, but the reserve was expanded in the 1950s to ensure a supply of liquid helium as a coolant when creating oxygen/hydrogen rocket fuel (among other uses) during the Space Race and Cold War. Helium use in the United States in 1965 was more than eight times the peak wartime consumption.

After the "Helium Acts Amendments of 1960" (Public Law 86–777), the U.S. Bureau of Mines arranged for five private plants to recover helium from natural gas. For this helium conservation program, the Bureau built a 425-mile pipeline from Bushton, Kansas, to connect those plants with the government's partially depleted Cliffside gas field near Amarillo, Texas. This helium-nitrogen mixture was injected and stored in the Cliffside gas field until needed, when it then was further purified.

By 1995, a billion cubic meters of the gas had been collected and the reserve was US $1.4 billion in debt, prompting the Congress of the United States in 1996 to phase out the reserve.4 The resulting "Helium Privatization Act of 1996" (Public Law 104–273) directed the U.S. Department of the Interior to start liquidating the reserve by 2005.

Helium produced before 1945 was about 98 percent pure (2 percent nitrogen), which was adequate for airships. In 1945, a small amount of 99.9 percent helium was produced for welding use. By 1949, commercial quantities of Grade A 99.995 percent helium were available.

For many years, the United States produced over 90 percent of commercially usable helium in the world. As of 2004, over 140 million cubic meters of helium were produced annually, with 85 percent of production from the United States, 10 percent from Algeria, and most of the remainder from Russia and Poland. The principal sources in the world are the natural gas wells in the American states of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

Given that helium has a lower boiling point than any other element, it can be extracted from natural gas by liquefying nearly all the other elements in the mixture, at low temperature and high pressure. The resulting crude helium gas is purified by successive exposures to low temperatures, by which almost all the remaining nitrogen and other gases are precipitated out of the mixture. Activated charcoal is used as a final purification step, usually resulting in 99.995 percent pure helium. The principal impurity in such helium is neon.

Current applications

Because of its low density, helium is the gas of choice to fill airships such as this USGS blimp.

Helium is used for many purposes that take advantage of its unique properties, such as its low boiling point, low density, low solubility, high thermal conductivity, and inertness. A number of these uses are listed below.

  • As helium is lighter than air, airships and balloons are inflated with helium for lift. In airships, helium is preferred over hydrogen for it is not flammable and has 92.64 percent of the lifting power of hydrogen.
  • Given its inertness and low solubility in water, helium is a component of air mixtures used in deep-sea breathing systems to reduce the high-pressure risk of nitrogen narcosis, decompression sickness, and oxygen toxicity. For these breathing systems, helium may be mixed with (a) oxygen and nitrogen ("Trimix"), (b) oxygen alone ("Heliox"), or (c) hydrogen and oxygen ("Hydreliox").
  • The extremely low melting and boiling points of helium make it ideal for use as a coolant in magnetic resonance imaging, superconducting magnets, and cryogenics. Liquid helium is used to produce superconductivity in some ordinary metals (such as lead), allowing for completely free flow of electrons in the metal.
  • Because helium is inert, it is used as a protective gas in growing silicon and germanium crystals, in titanium and zirconium production, in gas chromatography, and in providing an atmosphere suitable for protecting historical documents. Its inertness also makes it useful in supersonic wind tunnels.
  • Based on its inertness and high thermal conductivity, helium is used as a coolant in some nuclear reactors (such as pebble-bed reactors) and in arc welding.
  • In rocketry, helium is used as an ullage medium to displace fuel and oxidizers in storage tanks and to condense hydrogen and oxygen to make rocket fuel. It is also used to purge fuel and oxidizer from ground support equipment prior to launch and to precool liquid hydrogen in space vehicles.
  • Because it diffuses through solids at a rate three times that of air, helium is useful for detecting leaks in high-vacuum equipment and high-pressure containers.

Precautions

The voice of a person who has inhaled helium temporarily sounds high-pitched, resembling those of the cartoon characters Alvin and the Chipmunks (although their voices were produced by shifting the pitch of normal voices). This is because the speed of sound in helium is nearly three times that in air. Although this effect may be amusing, it can be dangerous if done in excess, because the helium displaces oxygen needed for normal respiration. Unconsciousness, brain damage, and even asphyxiation followed by death may result in extreme cases. Also, typical commercial helium may contain unhealthy contaminants. If helium is inhaled directly from pressurized cylinders, the high flow rate can fatally rupture lung tissue.

Although neutral helium at standard conditions is nontoxic, a high-pressure mixture of helium and oxygen (Heliox) can lead to high-pressure nervous syndrome. A small proportion of nitrogen can alleviate the problem.

Containers of helium gas at 5 to 10 K should be treated as if they have liquid inside. This is due to the rapid and large increases in pressure and volume that occur when helium gas at that temperature is warmed to room temperature.

References
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Specific references are indicated by comments in the article source

  • The Encyclopedia of the Chemical Elements, edited by Cifford A. Hampel, "Helium" entry by L. W. Brandt (New York; Reinhold Book Corporation; 1968; pages 256-267) Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 68-29938
  • Emsley, John. Nature's Building Blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. Pages 175–179. ISBN 0-19-850340-7
  • Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL.gov): Periodic Table, "Helium" (viewed October 10, 2002; March 25, 2005; May 31, 2006)
  • Guide to the Elements: Revised Edition, by Albert Stwertka (New York; Oxford University Press; 1998; pages 22-24) ISBN 0-19-512708-0
  • The Elements: Third Edition, by John Emsley (New York; Oxford University Press; 1998; pages 94-95) ISBN 0-19-855818-X
  • United States Geological Survey (usgs.gov): Mineral Information for Helium (PDF) (viewed March 31, 2005; May 31, 2006)
  • Isotopic Composition and Abundance of Interstellar Neutral Helium Based on Direct Measurements, Zastenker G.N. et al., [1], published in Astrophysics, April 2002, vol. 45, no. 2, pp. 131-142(12) (viewed May 31, 2006)
  • Dynamic and thermodynamic properties of solid helium in the reduced all-neighbours approximation of the self-consistent phonon theory, C. Malinowska-Adamska, P. Sŀoma, J. Tomaszewski, physica status solidi (b), Volume 240, Issue 1 , Pages 55 - 67; Published Online: September 19, 2003 (viewed May 31, 2006)
  • The Two Fluid Model of Superfluid Helium, S. Yuan, Yutopian Online (viewed April 4, 2005; May 31, 2006)
  • Rollin Film Rates in Liquid Helium, Henry A. Fairbank and C. T. Lane, Phys. Rev. 76, 1209–1211 (1949), from the online archive (viewed May 31, 2006)
  • Introduction to Liquid Helium, at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (viewed April 4, 2005)
  • Tests of vacuum VS helium in a solar telescope, Engvold, O.; Dunn, R. B.; Smartt, R. N.; Livingston, W. C.. Applied Optics, vol. 22, January 1, 1983, p. 10-12. (viewed abstract on May 31, 2006)
  • Bureau of Mines (1967). Minerals yearbook mineral fuels Year 1965, Volume II (1967). U. S. Government Printing Office.
  • Helium: Fundamental models, Don L. Anderson, G. R. Foulger & Anders Meibom (viewed April 5, 2005; May 31, 2006)
  • High Pressure Nervous Syndrome, Diving Medicine Online (viewed June 1, 2006)
Table

Notes

  • Note 1: Emsley, Nature's Building Blocks, p. 177
  • Note 2: Emsley, Nature's Building Blocks, p. 179
  • Note 4: Emsley, Nature's Building Blocks, p. 179

External links

All links retrieved December 14, 2017.


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