# How Do They "Make" Helium...? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [January 4, 2007, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-make-helium/386663 "2007-01-04T07:38:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-make-helium/386663/1 "2007-01-04T07:38:42Z")
In this thread, [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3\_277.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_277.html), Cecil answers how helium is captured. But, my daughter asks: How was helium discovered? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-make-helium/386663/2 "2007-01-04T07:51:20Z")
> [@](#): > > First detected in 1868 by French astronomer Pierre Janssen as an unknown yellow spectral line signature in the light of a solar eclipse, helium was separately identified as a new element later that year by English astronomer Norman Lockyer. Its presence in natural gas in large, usable amounts was identified in 1905. . From [Helium - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helium) See how easy that was? ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-make-helium/386663/3 "2007-01-04T08:25:58Z")
[QUOTE=samclem] . From [Helium - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helium) See how easy that was? [/QUOTE] No. Spectral lines are wonderful for those who dabble in theory. It proves you found the signature of something we couldn’t previously identify. But, in a practical sense… Let me be more explicit. How was helium discovered on earth? How did they identify a sample of the stuff? Bouns: How could one find its spectral properties when He does not burn? What experiment would yield a baseline spectral signature of He against which to compare? - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-make-helium/386663/4 "2007-01-04T12:50:46Z")
[http://acswebcontent.acs.org/landmarks/landmarks/helium/helium.html](http://acswebcontent.acs.org/landmarks/landmarks/helium/helium.html) There are about six pages detailing the discovery. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-make-helium/386663/5 "2007-01-04T14:18:27Z")
[QUOTE=samclem] [http://acswebcontent.acs.org/landmarks/landmarks/helium/helium.html](http://acswebcontent.acs.org/landmarks/landmarks/helium/helium.html) There are about six pages detailing the discovery. [/QUOTE] Stop doing his research for him. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-make-helium/386663/6 "2007-01-04T14:26:29Z")
[QUOTE=Jinx] How could one find its spectral properties when He does not burn? [/QUOTE] I think I’m right in saying that it isn’t necessary to burn an element to observe this, only to heat it until incandescent ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-make-helium/386663/7 "2007-01-06T15:34:42Z")
I’ll simply add to what **Cecil** said that the amount of natural radioactivity, while very rarely concentrated to one particular rock, formation, etc., to a degree of any concern, is in the aggregate pretty enormous. As a non-helium example, the 1% of argon in the atmosphere is almost totally the result of the less likely of two breakdowns of potassium-40, one of three isotopes of potassium occurring naturally. Alpha particles, which are actually He nuclei, or He ions with a +4 charge, depending on how you want to look at it, are a product of the majority of radioactive breakdown sequences. And unless they impact something with enough force to cause a nuclear reaction while still loaded with energy and travelling fast (a relatively rare result), they settle down to a long life as helium atoms. If any of the elements in a given rock have alpha-decaying radioactive isotopes, it _will_ be a steady if likely slow producer of helium – and if far enough underground, the helium will be trapped in pockets similarly to, and often mixed with, natural gas. ---
**Author:** ![JValentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/48db29/32.png) [@JValentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JValentine)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2007, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-make-helium/386663/8 "2007-01-08T16:04:34Z")
[QUOTE=Polycarp] Alpha particles, which are actually He nuclei, or He ions with a **+4 charge** , depending on how you want to look at it, are a product of the majority of radioactive breakdown sequences. [/QUOTE] +2 charge. Alpha particles and (normal) HE nuclei are 2 protons, 2 neutrons – atomic weight 4, charge +2.