Element Project

Number of electron

2

Number of protons

2

Name of element

Helium

How element got its name and symbol

Helium gets its name from the Greek word "Helios" meaning "sun". Helium's symbol is He, and is the 2nd most common element in the universe. That's how it got its symbol.

Common uses for element

Helium is used to inflate blimps, scientific balloons and party balloons, as an inert shield for arc welding, to pressurize the fuel tanks of liquid fueled rockets and in a supersonic wind tunnels.

When was element discovered and added to the periodic table

Helium was discovered in 1868, 1882, and 1895 and it was added to the periodic table in 1869.

Atomic mass of element

Helium's atomic mass is 4.002602 u + 0.000002 u

How element was discovered

In 1868, Pierre J.C. Janssen travelled to India to measure the solar spectrum during a total solar eclipse and observed a new yellow line in the sun's spectrum which indicated a new element. Joseph Norman Lockyer recorded the same line by observing the sun through London smog and, assuming the new element to be a metal, he named it helium. In 1882, the Italian Luigi Palmieri found the same line in the sun's spectrum. In 1895, Sir William Ramsay in London, found a yellow line in the sun's spectrum and atmosphere.

How abundant element is on earth

Natural abundance. Although it is rare on earth, Helium is the 2nd most abundant element in the universe.

Who discovered element

Pierre Janssen, Norman Lockyer, Luigi Palmieri, and Sir William Ramsay

What is the atomic number of element

The atomic number is 2

Common isotopes of element

helium-5, helium-6, helium-8, and helium-4

Common characteristics of element

odorless, colorless, and tastless

Common compounds formed with element

oxygen (oxide) and hydrogen (hydrides)

Common forms of how element is found in nature

radioactive decay, gas fields, protective gas for some sources, minor component for some sources, and during diving.