1. Helium John Sloop 11-14-07 Core 3-5 Science

2. Basic Information Helium’s atomic symbol is He. It’s atomic number is 2. The atomic weight is 4.002602. It is a gas at room temperature. It is classified as a nonmetal.

3. Basic Information (continued) Helium is part of the Noble Gases, Group 18 of the Periodic Table. It is named after the Greek sun god, Helios. It has a melting point of -272.2 degrees Celsius and a boiling point of -268.93 degrees Celsius.

4. History of Helium Helium was discovered on the sun before it was discovered on Earth. Pierre-Jules-César Janssen, a French astronomer, noticed a yellow line in the sun's spectrum while studying a total solar eclipse in 1868. Sir Norman Lockyer, an English astronomer, realized that this line, with a wavelength of 587.49 nanometers, could not be produced by any element known at the time. It was hypothesized that a new element on the sun was responsible for this mysterious yellow emission. This unknown element was named helium by Lockyer.

5. Helium discovered on Earth The hunt to discover helium on Earth ended in 1895. Sir William Ramsay, a Scottish chemist, conducted an experiment with a mineral containing uranium called clevite. He exposed the clevite to mineral acids and collected the gases that were produced. He then sent a sample of these gases to two scientists, Lockyer and Sir William Crookes, who were able to identify the helium within it.

6. How Helium is used Today Helium is used in many different ways. It can be used to fill up a party balloon while also being used to create a superconductive magnet.

7. Interesting Facts Helium is an inert gas and does not easily combine with other elements. There are no known compounds that contain helium, although attempts are being made to produce helium diflouride (HeF2).

8. Works Cited Gagnon, Steve. "Helium." 14 NOV 2007. Thomas Jefferson Lab. 14 Nov 2007 http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/e le002.html. "Helium." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 15 Nov 2007, 01:12 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 15 Nov 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title =Helium&oldid=171564999http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title =Helium&oldid=171564999 "Helium." 15 DEC 2003. University of California. 14 Nov 2007.