Essay On Helium

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Helium Scarce
A totally unreactive gas that is colorless and odorless. This element of gas is known to be helium. Helium is found in the periodic table in period 1 group 18 and the atomic number is 2. Helium was discovered in 1868 by Pierre J. C. Janssen he traveled to India to measure the solar spectrum during a total eclipse and came across a new yellow line which indicated a new element and assumed it to be a metal. Fortunately, helium is a noble gas. It is nontoxic and has no known biological function. The name helium is from the Greek name ‘Helios’ meaning sun. It was in the suns corona when helium was first detected. However, helium is from natural gas deposits commercially recovered. Helium gas has many uses it is used to inflate blimps, scientific balloons and party balloons. It is also an inert shield for arc welding, to pressurize the fuel tanks of liquid fueled rockets and in supersonic wind tunnels. Helium is also used in technology such as, computer chip manufacture, cell phones, fiber optic cables, MRI machines, and laser production. When you combine helium with oxygen you create nitrogen free atmosphere for deep sea divers so they can avoid a condition called nitrogen narcosis. Helium is said to be the second most abundant element. Unfortunately, most of it in the Earth’s atmosphere bleeds off into space causing there to be a major shortage of helium. Helium is all around the air, but it is hard to collect. There is only 5 parts of helium to every 100,000 parts of air. With the shortage of helium there are major causes, effects, and solutions.
First, the shortage of helium will have numerous causes and effects on today’s world. The cost will have a huge impact on purchases that use helium. For instance, the pric...

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...lusion, even though there are severe causes and effects of helium there are positive solutions to the shortage of helium. The shortage of helium will have causes and effects on small businesses like balloon shops, technology especially MRI machines that cannot go on without helium, and with the shortage it will lead to prices being outrageously high and shortage of supplies. However, on the upside it does have hydrogen that will come in place of helium. Therefore, it will save some of the difficulties of the shortage that helium will bring on such as, a less viscous element that is has higher efficiency the cost will be three times less expensive and there is will be more availability and on demand. Nevertheless, these will be the times that we as a country will be facing in the near future with the shortage of the second most abundant element named helium.

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