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helium
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A labeled diagram of the periodic table entry for helium shows its atomic number 2, symbol He, atomic weight 4.002602, electron configuration 1s2, and classifies helium as a noble gas with a hexagonal crystal structure and gaseous state at 20 degrees Celsius.
Will we run out of helium?
phase diagram of helium-3 Explore an interactive periodic table of the elements A large white helium balloon lifts a man above dense tropical plants inside the glass-domed Rainforest Biome at the Eden Project. Figure 12: The energy levels of three nuclei with A = 6, relative to the ground state of 6Li after subtraction of the calculated electrostatic energy. The isospin T = 1 levels exist in all three nuclei. Line graph showing the first ionization energies of the elements as a function of atomic number, with peaks at noble gases like helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon, and labeled elements at key points. A scientific graph plots average nuclear binding energy per nucleon (in MeV) against atomic mass number, showing a sharp rise at low mass numbers, peaking near iron (Fe), then gradually declining for heavier elements. Key isotopes are labeled along the curve. A vertical temperature scale shows the cryogenic region, highlighted from absolute zero up to about 90 kelvin, with key points where gases like oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and helium liquefy, alongside temperature conversions between kelvin, Celsius, Fahrenheit, and Rankine.
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Concept artwork on the periodic table of elements.
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helium: References & Edit History

Article Contributors

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  • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
    Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

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Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Add new Web site: Chemistry LibreTexts - Chemistry of Helium (Z=2). Sep 24, 2026
Add new Web site: IOPscience - IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering - Conservation of Helium while Maintaining High System Purity. Jun 19, 2026
Replaced expired media. May 07, 2026
Add new Web site: BBC - The world keeps running out of helium. There is now a race to prepare for the next shortage. May 06, 2026
Added media. Feb 16, 2026
Add new Web site: Scientific Reports - Evaluation of potential helium source rocks and helium enrichment factors in coalbed methane in the eastern margin of Ordos basin. Jan 16, 2026
Add new Web site: Lenntech - Helium - He. Dec 04, 2025
Add new Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Gaseous mediators: an updated review on the effects of helium beyond blowing up balloons. Aug 28, 2025
Add new Web site: USGS Publications Warehouse - Helium (PDF). Dec 06, 2024
Add new Web site: International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences - A Review on the Real Life Applications of Helium. Oct 25, 2024
Media added. Feb 22, 2024
Add new Web site: American Chemical Society - Helium. Oct 20, 2023
Links and video added. May 11, 2023
Add new Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Gaseous mediators: an updated review on the effects of helium beyond blowing up balloons. Dec 09, 2022
Add new Web site: Chemistry LibreTexts - Chemistry of Helium (Z=2). May 22, 2022
Add new Web site: Livescience - Facts About Helium. May 22, 2022
Changed atomic weight from “4.0026” to “4.002602.” Nov 04, 2020
Add new Web site: The Periodic Table - The Element Helium. Mar 14, 2019
Corrected display issue. Sep 21, 2018
Add new Web site: Easy Science for Kids - Helium Element Video for Kids. Jan 30, 2017
Add new Web site: Buzzle.com - Helium. Mar 03, 2014
Text added noting top-producing countries of helium. Aug 23, 2013
Add new Web site: EnvironmentalChemistry.com - Helium. May 14, 2013
Add new Web site: Kidipede Science for Kids - Helium. May 14, 2013
Add new Web site: Webelements - Helium. May 14, 2013
Add new Web site: Buzzle.com - Helium. May 14, 2013
Add new Web site: Science Kids - Fun Science and Technology for Kids - Helium. May 14, 2013
Add new Web site: Royal Society of Chemistry - Periodic Table - Helium. May 14, 2013
Add new Web site: Chemicool - Helium. May 13, 2013
Add new Web site: Rader's Chem4Kids.com - Helium. May 13, 2013
Article restructured. Aug 17, 2009
Article revised and updated. Apr 17, 2009
Added new Web site: Matinee Classics - Biography of Judith Anderson. Feb 10, 2009
Article revised. Jan 29, 2009
Added new Web site: Official Site of the University of Western States, Portland, Oregon, United States. Jun 25, 2008
Added new Web site: Los Alamos National Laboratory - Helium. May 07, 2008
Article revised and updated. Apr 12, 2007
Added new Web site: Jewish Women's Archive - Biography of Cynthia Ozick. Nov 14, 2006
Article added to new online database. Jul 20, 1998
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