Helium
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| Helium | |
|---|---|
| Properties | |
| Atomic symbol | He |
| Atomic number | 2 |
| Classification | Noble Gas |
| Atomic mass | 4.0026 amu |
| Other Information | |
| Date of discovery | August 18, 1868 |
| Name of discoverer | Pierre Janssen |
| Name origin | from Helios the Greek Sun god |
| Uses | Unknown |
| Obtained from | . |
Helium is the second element on the periodic table of elements. It is also the second most abundant element in the universe, after hydrogen. Helium is created by nuclear fusion in the center of stars.
Helium has an interesting history; during the nineteenth century, one of the things some scientists declared to be "impossible"[1] was the determination of the chemical makeup of the stars. Then spectroscopy was developed, and the composition of the stars became known in great detail. Helium, in particular, was discovered in the Sun (as an unknown element) before it was discovered on the Earth. It was first found in natural gas in 1905 at the University of Kansas. [2] It was, accordingly, named after helios, the Greek for the Sun.