Element 2 · Noble Gas
Helium
The second-lightest element — helium is the gas of party balloons, MRI scanners, and rocket fuel cooling.
Element Facts
SYMBOL
He
ATOMIC NO.
2
ATOMIC WEIGHT
4.003
CATEGORY
Noble Gas
PERIOD
Period 1
GROUP
Group 18
Discovery & History
Helium was detected in 1868 by Norman Lockyer and Pierre Janssen in the solar spectrum during a solar eclipse — hence its name from Helios, the Greek sun god. It was the first element discovered outside Earth. William Ramsay first isolated it on Earth in 1895 from the mineral cleveite. In the early 20th century it was used as a safer alternative to hydrogen in military airships.
Where It's Used
Helium’s main uses are cryogenic cooling (chilling MRI scanner magnets and scientific superconducting instruments to near absolute zero), as a shielding gas in arc welding, in fibre optic manufacturing, semiconductor fabrication, and in scientific research. Unlike all other gases, helium cannot be recovered once released into the atmosphere — it escapes Earth’s gravity.
Can You Sell It?
Why QuickStop Metals doesn’t buy Helium:
Helium is a noble gas — chemically inert, existing only as a monatomic gas under all normal conditions. There is no metal content and no physical form that could be recycled as scrap.
Price Guide
Helium is a strategic commodity. Wholesale prices fluctuate between approximately £3–10 per cubic metre depending on supply from US federal reserves, Qatar, and Algeria. It is not traded as scrap.