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The Sun's photosphere consists mostly of hydrogen and helium; the helium abundance varies between about 10.3 and 10.5 depending on the phase of the solar cycle; [13] carbon is 8.47, neon is 8.29, oxygen is 7.69 [14] and iron is estimated at 7.62. [15]
Mercury, being the closest to the Sun, with a weak magnetic field and the smallest mass of the recognized terrestrial planets, has a very tenuous and highly variable atmosphere (surface-bound exosphere) containing hydrogen, helium, oxygen, sodium, calcium, potassium and water vapor, with a combined pressure level of about 10 −14 bar (1 nPa). [2]
Helium is the smallest and the lightest noble gas and one of the most unreactive elements, so it was commonly considered that helium compounds cannot exist at all, or at least under normal conditions. [1] Helium's first ionization energy of 24.57 eV is the highest of any element. [2]
The geocorona visible in the far ultraviolet (caused by neutral hydrogen) extends to at least 100,000 kilometres (62,000 mi). [24] This layer is mainly composed of extremely low densities of hydrogen, helium and several heavier molecules including nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide closer to the exobase.
Atomicity is the total number of atoms present in a molecule of an element. For example, each molecule of oxygen (O 2) is composed of two oxygen atoms. Therefore, the atomicity of oxygen is 2. [1] In older contexts, atomicity is sometimes equivalent to valency. Some authors also use the term to refer to the maximum number of valencies observed ...
The helium abundance is 0.157 ± 0.004 relative to molecular hydrogen by number of molecules, and its mass fraction is 0.234 ± 0.005, which is slightly lower than the Solar System's primordial value. [1] The reason for this low abundance is not entirely understood, but some of the helium may have condensed into the core of Jupiter. [21]
Helium is also used as filling gas in nuclear fuel rods for nuclear reactors. [88] Goodyear Blimp. Since the Hindenburg disaster in 1937, [89] helium has replaced hydrogen as a lifting gas in blimps and balloons: despite an 8.6% [90] decrease in buoyancy compared to hydrogen, helium is not combustible. [13]
Helium is the least water-soluble monatomic gas, [96] and one of the least water-soluble of any gas (CF 4, SF 6, and C 4 F 8 have lower mole fraction solubilities: 0.3802, 0.4394, and 0.2372 x 2 /10 −5, respectively, versus helium's 0.70797 x 2 /10 −5), [97] and helium's index of refraction is closer to unity than that of any other gas. [98]