DEFY S. McQUAID! #64: The Noble Gas Helium

The Question

Where do we get the helium to put in tanks and balloons and such? If it’s lighter than air, wouldn’t all of the helium on earth just float to the top of the atmosphere?

Roland says:
According to Wikipedia, “On Earth it is created by the radioactive decay of much heavier elements (alpha particles are helium-4 nuclei produced by alpha-decay). After its creation, part of it is trapped with natural gas in concentrations up to 7% by volume.”

The Answer

Roland’s data is, it seems, technically correct. But it’s only half the story!

Helium is the second-most-abundant element in the universe. Most of the helium on Earth is helium-4 (which, as Roland states, is produced by radioactive decay). However, most of the helium in the universe is helium-3, which is produced by nuclear fusion in the heart of a star.

(interesting aside: if we take the long view, eventually (trillions and quadrillions of years from now) there won’t be any hydrogen left in the universe to form stars and burn. Helium will be the new hydrogen. Of course, trillions of years later the lowest element around will be something like iron, and iron can’t fuse, so the stars will go out. Huh.)

Like Roland says, most of the helium that we harvest (the United States is, in fact, the top helium producing country in the world) comes from natural gas deposits. The helium is removed via the liquification of all the other gasses in the mix. Helium has an extremely high boiling point, so, as the temperature drops, all the other gasses in the mix liquify before the helium and can be simply poured away.

But what happens to the helium that isn’t stored in the crust of the planet? Well, some of it gets stuck in the very top of the atmosphere. But the rest of it “escapes into space”.

Now, if I escaped into space, I’d do more than just lolligag around, enjoying the emptiness. Helium feels the same way.

Helium goes to Mars!

That’s right, all the helium that escapes the Earth goes to Mars and visits the city it was named for; Helium. Helium (the city) is the main bastion of civilization on Mars, and is the home city of John Carter from the Edgar Rice Burroughs stories. Helium (the element) likes to visit Helium (the city) and wreak havoc in serious conversations by slipping in to people’s lungs and making them sound silly.

(another aside: There is another non-poisonous gas called sulfur hexafluoride that has the opposite effect; when you inhale it, your voice gets really LOW. Weird, eh?)

In any case, that’s the story on helium. Remember, don’t inhale helium from pressurized cylinders, because that could explode you. Also, don’t inhale too much helium, because the breathing mechanism is triggered by too much carbon dioxide, not missing oxygen, so it’s easy to asphyxiate. Cheers!

14 thoughts on “DEFY S. McQUAID! #64: The Noble Gas Helium

  • 4/25/2006 at 6:24 am
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    HA! I have defied the McQuiad! As is clearly shown in both the photo presented and the caption ( http://www.jonabad.com/g2/v/DC/ocelots/108_0876.jpg.html ) I am doing a Helium Kegstand on a pressurized tank. Now since I did not Explode from this adventure I’m going to say that Shaun’s “Exploding Theory of Relativity” is a falsimitude.

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  • 4/25/2006 at 7:05 am
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    You haven’t exploded? I’m not sure about that. Some may claim that your weight has exploded skyward since that prank…….

    Besides, I said “could explode you” – not “will”. Big difference there, buddy.

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  • 4/25/2006 at 7:28 am
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    That is some awesome helium fact-based knowledge. Is it a coincidence that the words helium and heliocentric have the same root? Or is there an ancient etymological link?

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  • 4/25/2006 at 8:45 am
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    Apologies if this gets double-posted, as we are having internet issues at work and the connection went down right as I clicked ‘save’…

    Off the top of my head, yes there is a connection. The guy who first identified helium as a seperate element did it by examining the atomic spectrum (or something) of the sun. He used the Greek word for sun – “helios” – as the basis for the name of the new element. Helios is also used in heliocentric (bet you didn’t spot that), which means “centered on the sun”.

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  • 4/25/2006 at 9:35 am
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    You are correct again, Roland. The scientist actually noticed a yellow line in the spectra of the sun that was unexplained, and hence, the element helium was found.

    Some other “helio” words:

    – Heliostat: An instrument in which a mirror is automatically moved so that it reflects sunlight in a constant direction.
    – Heliograph: A device for transmitting messages by reflecting sunlight OR a device for photographing the sun
    – Heliolater: A worshipper of the sun
    – Heliotropism: Growth or orientation of a sessile organism, especially a plant, toward or away from the light of the sun.

    (Definitions courtesy of Dictionary.com)

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  • 4/25/2006 at 12:01 pm
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    Wow, thanks guys. Wonderful!

    Does anybody else find the word origins of elements incredibly interesting?

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  • 4/26/2006 at 12:39 am
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    I could be wrong, but I have heard that the voice-changing effect has to do with the density of the gas flowing over the vocal cords. A gas that is less dense than air will produce a higher pitch, and a gas that is denser than air will produce a lower pitch. You can inhale argon, and it will make you sound like Barry White, but you have to stand on your head when you exhale, otherwise not all of it will come out of your lungs since it’s heavier than air…

    Disclamer: This was told to me by an ex-room mate while he was high, so the validity of this statement could be completely and utterly false.

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  • 4/26/2006 at 12:41 am
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    Another question helium-related question:

    Why does the helium inside mylar baloons loose its “floatiness” after a week?

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  • 4/26/2006 at 6:18 am
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    Roland, are you trying to compete with me or something? Just as a note, others have done so to their detriment. I’m calling to mind the great Answer Fury of ’05….

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  • 4/26/2006 at 6:30 am
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    I’d actually like to know more about that than I do. Unfortunately that topic wasn’t covered much when I studied Chemistry (other than the new elements that weren’t named yet and so were called unununium (element #111) and suchlike).

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  • 4/26/2006 at 6:32 am
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    It’s not the denseness of the gas – at least, not directly. It’s actually the speed of sound in the gas. The speed of sound in helium is higher than in normal air, so the voice sounds higher. The gas sulfur hexafluoride has the opposite effect because sound travels slower in it. Argon doesn’t seem to have any effect when inhaled on voices…

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  • 4/26/2006 at 6:30 pm
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    I’m just glad my Chemistry A-level is finally coming in handy for something. Don’t worry, I’ll stop showing you up now (unless there are more chemistry questions in the next DSMQ ;).

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  • 4/26/2006 at 6:47 pm
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    Of all my feelings on the matter, WORRIED is NOT one of them. :-)

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