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InterviewSolution
| 1. |
What is helium |
| Answer» \tHelium\xa0(from Greek:\xa0Helios\xa0\'Sun\') is a chemical element with the symbol\xa0He\xa0and atomic number\xa02. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas, the\xa0first in the noble gas\xa0group\xa0in the periodic table.\tIts boiling point is the lowest among all the elements. Helium is the second\xa0lightest\xa0and second\xa0most abundant element\xa0in the observable universe (hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant).\tIt is present at about\xa024%\xa0of the total elemental mass, which is more than\xa012 times\xa0the mass of all the heavier elements combined. Its abundance is similar to this in both the Sun and in Jupiter.\tThis is due to the\xa0very\xa0high\xa0nuclear\xa0binding\xa0energy (per nucleon) of helium-4, with respect to the next three elements after helium. This helium-4 binding energy also accounts for why it is a product of both nuclear fusion and radioactive decay.\tMost helium in the universe is helium-4, the vast majority of which was formed during the Big Bang. Large amounts of new helium are being created by\xa0nuclear fusion\xa0of hydrogen in stars. | |