Helium

[EvoN1020v]

My brother got a children science book entitled "100 things you should know about science". Well, I was reading it, and I noticed that it said that Helium have 1 proton and 1 electron. I got confused, because on the periodic table the atomic number for helium is 2. So I went to ask my sister and she said in "nature" all the helium atoms are bonded with hydrogen atoms, so it was why it have 1 proton and 1 electron.

 

You guys concur with my sister? Or you have another theory?

Thanks.

[woelen]

Helium has two protons in its nucleus and two electrons in its orbitals. So, your sister and the science book are wrong.

 

Most of the helium also has two neutrons in its nucleus, but helium also can be made with 1 neutron in its nucleus. That is the lighter isotope of helium.

[EvoN1020v]

Yeah I thought so. Thanks woelen.

[swansont]

Helium also tends not to bond with anything.

[RyanJ]

Helium also tends not to bond with anything.

 

I don't think it does form any stable compounds does it? Maybe the book was refering too Hydrogen?

 

Cheers,

 

Ryan Jones

[YT2095]

I don't think it does form any stable compounds does it? Cheers' date='

 

Ryan Jones[/quote']

 

I`m not aware of any either? Xenon Can be made to form compounds, but that`s about it in that group.

[swansont]

I'm not aware of any He compounds, and I think YT is right, that only heavier Noble gases have ever been observed to form one or two. But I was worried that the instant I say that it forms no stable compounds, someone will dig up some reference that shows that it does, on very rare occasions, form one.

[RyanJ]

I'm not aware of any He compounds, and I think YT is right, that only heavier Noble gases have ever been observed to form one or two. But I was worried that the instant I say that it forms no stable compounds, someone will dig up some reference that shows that it does, on very rare occasions, form one.

 

Mercury is supposed to be able to form "compounds" with all the noble gasses except they ar enot bonded together with covanelt nor ionic bonds so I'm not even shure these could as compounds

 

As for the heavier ones I think they have been made too form oxides and flurides and some oxyfluorides

 

I'm still guessing the book is refering too Hydrogen because most books don't make a mistake like that...

 

Cheers,

 

Ryan Jones

[jdurg]

Radon, Xenon, Krypton and Argon have all been forced into chemical bonds with other elements. Helium MAY theoretically be able to form a chemical compound but only at insanely low temperatures and in the right conditions. (One would have to have an alpha particle bond to a negatively charge species. Alpha particles are bare helium nuclei and it is possible to have a bare nucleus attach to an electron rich species, however I don't think it has ever actually been done).

[YT2095]

as High up as Argon!

 

wow!, got a source for this info? should be an interesting read

[RyanJ]

as High up as Argon!

 

wow!' date=' got a source for this info? should be an interesting read [/quote']

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argon First paragraph

 

Radon' date=' Xenon, Krypton and Argon have all been forced into chemical bonds with other elements. Helium MAY theoretically be able to form a chemical compound but only at insanely low temperatures and in the right conditions. (One would have to have an alpha particle bond to a negatively charge species. Alpha particles are bare helium nuclei and it is possible to have a bare nucleus attach to an electron rich species, however I don't think it has ever actually been done).

[/quote']

 

Hmm, would that be considered a sort of ionic bond then?

 

Cheers,

 

Ryan Jones

[woelen]

As far as I know only xenon forms compounds, stable at room temperature. The book "Chemistry of the Elements" by Earnswood and Greenshaw also mentions the existence of the compound KrF2, but this only is stable at temperatures not exceeding appr. 80 K. Of the other noble gases no confirmed chemical compounds are mentioned in that book, although it mentions the existence of clathrates. The most notable is the hydroquinone/argon clathrate. However, this is not a real chemical compound, it is a crystal lattice, with fairly large open spaces in it, which are filled by argon atoms. This compound however has a specific formula, being C6H4(OH)2.Ar.

[RyanJ]

As far as I know only xenon forms compounds, stable at room temperature. The book "Chemistry of the Elements" by Earnswood and Greenshaw also mentions the existence of the compound KrF2

 

I wish I had some of that, they look like some nice crystals:

 

Xenon also forms a tetrafluoride thats stable at room temperature too... Again I'd love too have some

 

Cheers,

 

Ryan Jones

[YT2095]

HArF, interesting!

 

I`de assume (running on Logic alone) that if Xe can be made to do it as a stable compound and Ar as a "Near Stable" compound, that Kr should be a walk in the park then, somewhat a happy medium between the two

[engware]

Helium is an inert gas ...

 

Thanks,

[YT2095]

Helium is Currently considered as such, yes.

 

but then again so were ALL of the Group 8 elements once upon a time!

infact we even used to call them the "inert gasses" and soon after Xenon Fluoride was formed we changed it to the "Nobel gasses"!

[jdurg]

Helium is Currently considered as such' date=' yes.

 

but then again so were ALL of the Group 8 elements once upon a time!

infact we even used to call them the "inert gasses" and soon after Xenon Fluoride was formed we changed it to the "Nobel gasses"![/quote']

 

 

I think you mean "Noble Gases" there. I'm pretty certain that they weren't named after Alfred. hehe. I also think they were called the Noble Gases before Xenon compounds had been created.

[silkworm]

EvoN1020v, write the publisher a letter. If that's what it says that is simply unnacceptable. If they don't know the difference between Helium and Hydrogen they have no business writing that book. God knows what else is in that book that is untrue. I can't stand this sort of things. Bust em, before it becomes the gospel that "Natural Cures" has become.

[sunspot]

The stabilty of helium is derived from the magnetic addition of the electrons within its outer 1S orbitals, while the rest of the nobel gases use magnetic addition within outer P orbitals. This may account for why helium does not bond as easily (in loose terms) as the other Nobel gases.

[YT2095]

I think you mean "Noble Gases" there.

 

erm, Nope I did actualy mean Nobel Gases there

[aj47]

I'm confused becasue although Helium has a high 1st ionization energy level of around 2000kj mol, I would imagine it is relatively easy to achieve.

 

So surely if you had a mole of helium ions they would quite readily react with a nucleophile or anion to form an ionic bond?

[woelen]

If you have a mole of helium ions around, then they will react with everything around them, violently and destructively, themselves being converted to helium and the other compound(s) destroyed. He(+) ions would be an insanely strong oxidizer, oxidizing any known matter, even fluorine.

[aj47]

Interesting but when you say destroyed, do you mean spliting molecules into atoms or as in atoms splitting it into protons and neutrons etc etc

[jdurg]

erm, Nope I did actualy mean Nobel Gases there

 

I just never knew that they named the gases after Alfred Nobel. (I know they are called Noble because of their refusal to react, but Nobel just doesn't seem right).

[woelen]

Interesting but when you say destroyed, do you mean spliting molecules into atoms or as in atoms splitting it into protons and neutrons etc etc

No, atoms will not be destroyed. It is a chemical process, not a nuclear one. So, molecules will be broken down to other molecules and/or ions.