What do you use the element helium for?

Answer 1

Helium is a noble gas with the chemical symbol He.

• As helium is lighter than air, airships and balloons can be filled with the gas to gain lift.
• Helium is used to condense hydrogen and oxygen to make rocket fuel.
• Helium can be added to oxygen tanks so that divers can breath more easily. This is especially important for people that go deep diving (over 450 ft below sea level).
• Used in helium-neon lasers. These lasers can be used to read barcodes.
• Helium can be used to detect leaks in high-vacuum and high-pressure equipment.
• For materials easily contaminated by air, helium is used as a shielding gas in the arc welding process.
• Helium is used as a protective gas when growing silicon and germanium crystals and when producing titanium and zirconium. It is a fantastic protective gas as it is inert (unreactive).
• The age of rocks which contain uranium and thorium can be estimated using helium dating.
• Helium is often used as a carrier gas in gas chromatography.
• Helium can be used to detect leaks (small fractures) in some vessels.

Answer 2

Helium is commonly used in filling balloons, as it is lighter than air and makes balloons float. It is also used in cryogenics, cooling systems, and certain types of research equipment like MRI machines. Additionally, helium is used in diving gas mixtures to prevent nitrogen narcosis.

Answer 3

Helium is a stable gas with a density lower than that of air, and thus can be used for many applications such as balloons and other floating instruments.