Helium Facts for Kids

28 Helium Facts For Kids

1. Helium is one of the chemical elements on the periodic table.
2. The symbol for helium on the periodic table is He.
3. The atomic number for helium on the periodic table is 2.
4. Helium’s standard atomic weight is 4.0026 u.
5. Helium is in group 18 (noble gases) on the periodic table.
6. Helium is a period 1 element on the periodic table.
7. Helium is in the s-block on the periodic table.
8. French astronomer Pierre Janssen and English scientist Norman Lockyer discovered helium in 1868.
9. Norman Lockyer and English chemist Edward Frankland gave helium its name in 1868.
10. At standard temperature and pressure (STP) helium is a gas.
11. Helium in its pure form is colorless, odorless, and tasteless.
12. Helium is a non-toxic chemical element.
13. Helium is an inert (non-combustible) chemical element.
14. Helium’s melting point is -457 °F and its boiling point is -452 °F.
15. Helium has the lowest melting and boiling point of all the elements on the periodic table.
16. 1s² is the electron configuration for helium.
17. Helium has 2 electrons per shell.
18. Chemists have discovered nine known isotopes of helium.
19. The two stable isotopes of helium are helium-3 and helium-4.
20. Helium is the second lightest element on the periodic table.
21. Helium is believed to be one of the light elements created moments after the Big Bang.
22. Most of the helium found throughout our universe is helium-4.
23. The Sun in our Solar System creates huge amounts of helium through the nuclear fusion of hydrogen.
24. The most known use of helium is in balloons to make them float since helium is lighter than air.
25. Airships, like blimps, use helium for lift and to rise into the sky. Helium is preferred over hydrogen because it is inert.
26. Helium is used for many different cryogenic applications; it is a coolant used in MRI scanners and NMR spectrometers.
27. Helium dating is a process used by geologists to determine a rock’s thermal history.
28. Helium shortages are becoming more common, while helium is the second most abundant element in the universe it is relatively rare on Earth.

Helium Pictures

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the below images will be helpful for your research on the chemical element helium. Below are three various pictures related to helium. These pictures should help you better understand helium, an element on the periodic table of elements.

A diagram of the electron shell for helium.

A picture of balloons filled with helium.

A picture of storage tanks for helium air.