Helium

citing wikipedia:

Technical treatise on helium

1. occurrence
   Helium is a chemical element with the symbol He and atomic number 2 in the periodic table of elements. It is the second most abundant element in the universe and makes up about 24% of the mass of the universe. On Earth, however, it is relatively rare and occurs almost exclusively as a trace element, mostly in natural gas deposits. Helium is mainly obtained through natural gas extraction, as it is a by-product of the extraction of natural gas.
2. properties
   Helium is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas. It is the lightest noble gas and has the lowest boiling and melting temperature of all elements. Under standard conditions, helium is an inert gas, which means that it is not chemically reactive. It has a high thermal conductivity, low density and is non-flammable. These properties make it extremely useful for various applications.
3. price
   The price of helium can vary greatly depending on supply and demand in the market. Due to its scarcity on earth and its many uses, the price can fluctuate. In recent years, the price of helium has increased, partly due to limited supplies and increasing demand.
4. use Helium has a variety of uses, including
   • Cooling: Due to its low boiling temperature, helium is often used as a coolant for extremely low temperature applications, such as cryogenics.
   • Floating: Helium is used in balloons to make them float, due to its low density compared to air.
   • Medical applications: Helium is used in medicine for various purposes, including respiratory therapy and cooling magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines.
   • Aviation: Helium is used in some aircraft such as airships to generate lift.
   • Technical applications: Helium is used in gas chromatography, leak detection and other technical applications.
5. importance as an inert gas in TIG welding
   Helium is often used as a shielding gas in TIG welding (tungsten inert gas welding). Inert gases are used to protect the welding area from contamination from the ambient air and to ensure a clean weld seam. Helium is often used as a shielding gas in TIG welding due to its chemical inertness, high thermal conductivity and good penetration properties. It enables more stable arc burning and higher welding speeds, resulting in high-quality welded joints.
   Overall, helium plays an important role in various industrial, scientific and technical applications and is a valuable raw material due to its unique properties and limited availability.