Elements

Helium

By 2010-01-01T00:00:00

Weather-monitoring equipment

Source: Lindsay R. Minturn/US Navy

The inert element with extreme behaviour

Did you know that the discovery of helium's existence preceded its discovery as an element on Earth?

In 1868 Pierre J. C. Janssen travelled to India to study a total eclipse and he observed a new line in the corona spectrum, which meant an unknown element was present on the sun. (He named it helium thinking it would be a metal.) The same year two Britons, astronomer Norman Lockyer and chemist Edward Frankland, confirmed Janssen's observation when they viewed the sun's spectrum through London smog. The belief was that this new element, clearly abundant on the sun, would not be found on Earth. 

John Emsley explores Helium...

Thanks for using Education in Chemistry. You can view one Education in Chemistry article per month as a visitor. 

A photograph of a teacher standing in a white lab coat, speaking with a class of children in a laboratory, is superimposed on a colourful background. Text reads "Teach Chemistry means support for classroom and staff room".

Register for Teach Chemistry for free, unlimited access

Registration is open to all teachers and technicians at secondary schools, colleges and teacher training institutions in the UK and Ireland.

Get all this, plus much more:

  • unlimited access to resources, core practical videos and Education in Chemistry articles
  • teacher well-being toolkit, personal development resources and online assessments
  • applications for funding to support your lessons

Set up your Teach Chemistry account

Already a Teach Chemistry member? Sign in now.

Not eligible for Teach Chemistry? Sign up for a personal account instead, or you can also access all our resources with Royal Society of Chemistry membership.