Gage Soovajian 10/5/12
Helium
Helium has the lowest melting point (-272.2) of any element and is widely used in cryogenic research because its boiling point (-268.93) is close to absolute zero. Also the element is important in the study of super conductivity. Helium is used for welding. It is used for growing silicon and germanium crystals and producing titanium. Helium is used as a cooling medium for nuclear reactors. It can be used as a gas for supersonic wind tunnels. Helium is used for filling balloons as it is a much safer gas than hydrogen. One of the recent largest uses for helium has been for pressuring liquid rocket fuel.
The word Helium is from the Greek word Helios, the sun. Jules Ceaser Janssen obtained the first evidence of helium during the solar eclipse of 1868 when he detected a new line in the solar spectrum. In 1895 Ramsay discovered helium in the uranium mineral cleveite while it was independently discovered in cleveite by the Swedish chemists.
Helium has the lowest melting point and boiling point of the elements so it exists as a gas except under extreme conditions. Helium is the second-lightest element. Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe, thought it is much less common on earth. Helium is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and non-toxic. Most Helium is obtained by extracting it from natural gas. Helium is the second-least reactive noble