



How a small number of atoms can be joined and form completely different substances.Want to learn more details and data about Helium (He)? Check my Elements Comprehensive List.Īre you having trouble understanding the basics of atomic elements? This video will walk you through: Sixth most abundant in the earth's atmosphere.ĭiscovered By: Sir William Ramsey, Nils Langet, P.T.Cleve Second most abundant element in the universe. Light, odorless, colorless, tasteless inert gas. Also used in very low temperature research. Used in balloons, deep sea diving & welding. In the case of Helium the abbreviated electron configuration is 1s2. Nevertheless, check the complete configuration and other interesting facts about Helium that most people don't know.įound in natural gas deposits & in the air (5 parts per billion) Constantly lost to space replenished by radioactive decay (alpha particles). Some are hard to memorise (or predict), so what is the electron configuration of an atom of He? Therefore, there are various non-equivalent definitions of atomic radius.Electrons have a specific form of distribution (or configuration) in every atom, even Helium.
Helium electron configuration free#
However, this assumes the atom to exhibit a spherical shape, which is only obeyed for atoms in vacuum or free space. The atomic radius of a chemical element is a measure of the distance out to which the electron cloud extends from the nucleus. It must be noted, atoms lack a well-defined outer boundary. The atomic radius of Helium atom is 28pm (covalent radius). Note that, each element may contain more isotopes, therefore this resulting atomic mass is calculated from naturally-occuring isotopes and their abundance. The atomic mass is carried by the atomic nucleus, which occupies only about 10 -12 of the total volume of the atom or less, but it contains all the positive charge and at least 99.95% of the total mass of the atom. The atomic mass or relative isotopic mass refers to the mass of a single particle, and therefore is tied to a certain specific isotope of an element. Mass numbers of typical isotopes of Helium are 3 4. Isotopes are nuclides that have the same atomic number and are therefore the same element, but differ in the number of neutrons. The difference between the neutron number and the atomic number is known as the neutron excess: D = N – Z = A – 2Z.įor stable elements, there is usually a variety of stable isotopes. Neutron number plus atomic number equals atomic mass number: N+Z=A. The total number of neutrons in the nucleus of an atom is called the neutron number of the atom and is given the symbol N. The total electrical charge of the nucleus is therefore +Ze, where e (elementary charge) equals to 1,602 x 10 -19 coulombs. Total number of protons in the nucleus is called the atomic number of the atom and is given the symbol Z. Helium is a chemical element with atomic number 2 which means there are 2 protons in its nucleus. Atomic Number – Protons, Electrons and Neutrons in Helium
