About Helium

When was helium discovered? 

Strangely enough, helium was was discovered on the sun before it was found on earth. Its name comes from the Greek "helios" meaning "sun". It was first identified in 1869 by Sir Joseph Lockyer and around the same time by French astronomer Pierre J Janssen during a solar eclipse. The search for this new element on earth was not very productive until 1895, when it was subsequently found in the mineral clevite by Sir William Ramsey. Helium is the second most common element in the universe (hydrogen is the first), accounting for one in every ten atoms but it's so light that most of the earth's helium has simply escaped and floated away.

So where does helium come from? 

Many people think helium literally comes out of thin air, and it's true to say that helium is found in abundance hundreds of miles up in outer space and in the stars, since most of the helium in the universe was forged during the first few minutes of the Big Bang. On earth, however, it's formed by radioactive decay deep inside the planet. The helium you can buy today is present in natural gas reserves in certain parts of the world so it has to be extracted by mining. Not all natural gas wells contain enough helium to make recovery economical. The US is the most "helium rich" region with concentrations of 4% or more and mines are also found in Russia, Poland and Algeria.  However, helium is an expendable and non-renewable natural resource, so once it's gone, it's gone!

How do you get the helium out?

The helium is purified by a process called "liquefaction"—by cooling the natural gas until all the other components except helium, hydrogen, nitrogen and argon turn to liquid. The remaining mixture is burned to get rid of the hydrogen, then charcoal is used to eliminate the argon. The nitrogen remains but can be removed if there is a requirement for high purity helium. Helium turns liquid at –268.9°C and turns solid at –272.2°C although not under normal atmospheric pressure, so it's almost true to say Hell will freeze over before helium will!

What else is helium used for?

• As a pressurising gas in space rockets
• As a cooling medium in nuclear reactors
• As an inert gas shield in electric arc welding
• As a protective gas in the manufacture of semiconductors
• In leak testing, because it is such a small molecule
• For filling blimps because, unlike hydrogen, it is non-flammable
• Combined with oxygen to create an artificial atmosphere for deep sea divers
• To provide lift to balloons

Is helium safe?

Yes. It's an inert gas, it's non-flammable so it won't burn. However, it can act as an asphyxiant if inhaled, by displacing oxygen in your lungs, so we strongly advise that you don't use it for Donald Duck impressions and also recommend adult supervision when filling balloons.