The most common element on earth is silicon. Elements. The most common chemical elements on earth and in the universe. The Ten Most Common Elements in the Milky Way Galaxy

According to most scientists, the emergence of chemical elements in the universe occurred after the Big Bang. At the same time, some substances were formed more, some less. Our top list contains a list of the most common chemical elements on Earth and in the universe.

Hydrogen becomes the leader of the rating. In the periodic table it is designated by the symbol H and atomic number 1. Discovered in 1766 by G. Cavendish. And 15 years later, the same scientist found out that hydrogen is involved in the formation of most substances on the planet.

Hydrogen is not only the most abundant, but also the most explosive and lightest chemical element in the universe in nature. IN earth's crust its volume is 1%, but the number of atoms is 16%. This element is found in many natural compounds, for example, oil, natural gas, coal.

Hydrogen is practically never found in the free state. On the Earth's surface it is present in some volcanic gases. It is present in the air, but in very small doses. Hydrogen occupies almost half of the structure of stars, most of the interstellar sphere and gases of nebulae.

The second most abundant element in the universe is helium. It is also considered the second easiest. In addition, helium has the lowest boiling point of all known substances.

Discovered in 1868 by the French astronomer P. Jansen, who discovered a bright yellow line in the circumsolar atmosphere. And in 1895, the English chemist W. Ramsay proved the existence of this element on Earth.

With the exception of extreme conditions, helium is present only in the form of a gas. In space it was formed in the first moments after big bang. Today, helium appears through thermonuclear fusion with hydrogen in the depths of stars. On Earth it is formed after the decay of heavy elements.

The most abundant element in the earth's crust (49.4%) is oxygen. Represented by the symbol O and the number 8. Indispensable for human existence.

Oxygen is a chemically inactive non-metal. Under standard conditions it is in a colorless gaseous state, without taste or smell. The molecule contains two atoms. In liquid form it has a light blue tint; in solid form it looks like crystals with a bluish tint.

Oxygen is necessary for all living things on Earth. It has been involved in the cycle of substances for over 3 billion years. Plays a significant role in the economy and nature:

Participates in plant photosynthesis;
Absorbed by living organisms during respiration;
Acts as an oxidizing agent in the processes of fermentation, rotting, rusting;
Contained in organic molecules;
Necessary for obtaining valuable substances from organic synthesis.

In a liquefied state, oxygen is used for cutting and welding metals, underground and underwater work, and operations on high altitude in airless space. Oxygen pillows are indispensable when performing therapeutic procedures.

In 4th place is nitrogen - a diatomic, colorless and tasteless gas. It exists not only on ours, but also on several other planets. Almost 80% of the earth's atmosphere consists of it. Even the human body contains up to 3% of this element.

In addition to gaseous nitrogen, there is liquid nitrogen. It is widely used in construction, industry, medicine. It is used for cooling equipment, freezing organic matter, and getting rid of warts. In liquid form, nitrogen is neither explosive nor toxic.

The element blocks oxidation and decay. Widely used in mines to create an explosion-proof environment. In chemical production, it is used to create ammonia, fertilizers, dyes, and in cooking it is used as a refrigerant.

Neon is an inert, colorless, and odorless atomic gas. Discovered in 1989 by the Englishmen W. Ramsay and M. Travers. Derived from liquefied air by eliminating other elements.

The name of the gas is translated as “new”. It is distributed extremely unevenly in the Universe. The maximum concentration was detected on hot stars, in the air of the outer planets of our system and in gaseous nebulae.

On Earth, neon is mainly found in the atmosphere, in other parts it is negligible. Explaining the neon scarcity of our planet, scientists have hypothesized that once Earth lost its primary atmosphere, and with it the main volume of inert gases.

Carbon is in 6th place on the list of the most common chemical elements on Earth. In the periodic table it is designated by the letter C. It has extraordinary properties. It is the leading biogenic element of the planet.

Known since ancient times. Included in the structure of coal, graphite, diamonds. The content in the earth's terra firma is 0.15%. The concentration is not too high due to the fact that in nature carbon undergoes constant circulation.

There are several minerals containing this element:

Anthracite;
Oil;
Dolomite;
Limestone;
Oil shale;
Peat;
Brown and hard coal;
Natural gas;
Bitumen.

The repository of carbon groups is living beings, plants and air.

Silicon is a non-metal often found in the earth's crust. It was developed in a free form in 1811 by J. Tenard and J. Gay-Lussac. The content in the planetary shell is 27.6-29.5% by weight, in ocean water – 3 mg/l.

A variety of silicon compounds have been known since ancient times. But the pure element remained beyond human knowledge for a long time. The most popular compounds were semi-precious and precious stones based on silicon oxide:

Rhinestone;
Onyx;
Opal;
Chalcedony;
Chrysoprase, etc.

In nature, the element is found in:

Massive rocks and deposits;
Plants and marine inhabitants;
Deep in the soil;
In the organisms of living beings;
At the bottom of reservoirs.

Silicon plays a huge role in the formation of the human body. At least 1 gram of the element must be ingested daily, otherwise unpleasant ailments will begin to appear. The same can be said about plants and animals.

Magnesium is a malleable, lightweight metal with a silvery hue. In the periodic table it is marked with the symbol Mg. Obtained in 1808 by the Englishman G. Davy. It ranks 8th in volume in the earth's crust. Natural sources include mineral deposits, brines and sea water.

In the standard state, it is covered with a layer of magnesium oxide, which decomposes at a temperature of +600-650 0 C. When burned, it emits a bright white flame with the formation of nitride and oxide.

Magnesium metal is used in many fields:

When regenerating titanium;
In the production of light casting alloys;
In the creation of incendiary and illuminating rockets.

Magnesium alloys are the most important structural material in the transport and aviation industries.

Magnesium is not called the “metal of life” for nothing. Without it, most physiological processes are impossible. It plays a leading role in the functioning of nervous and muscle tissue, and is involved in lipid, protein and carbohydrate metabolism.

Iron is a malleable silver-white metal with high level chemical reaction. Denoted by the letters Fe. Rusts quickly at elevated temperatures/humidity. Ignites in purified oxygen. Capable of spontaneous combustion in fine air.

In everyday life, iron is referred to as its alloys with a minimum amount of additives that preserve the pliability of pure metal:

Steel;
Cast iron;
Alloy steel.

It is believed that iron makes up the bulk of the earth's core. It has several levels of oxidation, which is the most important geochemical feature.

The tenth place on the list of the most common chemical elements on Earth is sulfur. Denoted by the letter S. Exhibits non-metallic characteristics. In its native state it looks like a light yellow powder with a characteristic aroma or shiny glass-yellow crystals. In regions of ancient and recent volcanism, crumbly deposits of sulfur are found.

Without sulfur it is impossible to carry out many industrial operations:

Production of drugs for agricultural needs;
Giving special characteristics to certain types of steel;
Formation of sulfuric acid;
Rubber production;
Production of sulfates and others.

Medical sulfur is contained in skin ointments, it is used to treat rheumatism and gout, and is included in cosmetic preparations for skin care. It is used in the manufacture of gypsum, laxatives and antihypertensive drugs.

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An element is a substance consisting of identical atoms. So, sulfur, helium, iron are elements; they consist only of atoms of sulfur, helium, iron, and they cannot be decomposed into simpler substances. Today, 109 elements are known, but only about 90 of them actually occur in nature. Elements are divided into metals and non-metals. The periodic table classifies elements based on their atomic mass.

Vital important element for higher organisms, which is a component of many proteins, accumulates in the hair. History: Latin name - The origin of sulfur is unknown. The Lithuanian name is likely to be taken from Slavic peoples, and may be related to the Sanskrit color Cyran yellow.

Physical properties: insoluble in water. Yellow, hard, low power, molten. Electronegative 2. 58. This mineral is found in various rocks. It forms in both metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. It is found in quartz compounds in association with other sulfides and oxides. It can also metasomatically replace other minerals. Large quantities of this mineral can be used to produce iron.

Metals

More than three quarters of all elements are metals. Almost all of them are dense, shiny, durable, but easy to forge. In the earth's crust, metals are usually found together with other elements. People make airplanes, spaceships, and various machines from durable and malleable metals. In the periodic table, metals are indicated in blue. They are divided into alkaline, alkaline earth and transition. Most of the metals we are familiar with - iron, copper, gold, platinum, silver - are transition metals. Aluminum is used to package food, produce beverage cans, and create lightweight and strong alloys. This is the most common metal on Earth (for more details, read the article “Metals”).

The word pyrite comes from the Greek word for fire. Piritas was used in early firearm locks. Because of its resemblance to gold, it is sometimes called fool's gold. Pyrite is also used in jewelry, but its products are scarce because the pit's hardness is low and reacts chemically with its environment.

Sphalerite is a sulfide mineral, zinc sulfide. Also called "deceptive zinc". The most common mineral, zinc, is the most abundant, so most of it comes from that particular mineral. It occurs in combination with pyrite, galena and other sulfide minerals, as well as calcite, dolomite and fluorite. Most often found in hydrothermal veins.

Nonmetals

Nonmetals include only 25 elements, including the so-called semimetals, which can exhibit both metallic and nonmetallic properties. IN periodic table non-metals are indicated in yellow, semi-metals in orange. All nonmetals, with the exception of graphite (a type of carbon), are poor conductors of heat and electricity, and semimetals, such as germanium or silicon, depending on conditions, can be good conductors, like metals, or not conduct current, like nonmetals. Silicon is used in the production of integrated circuits. To do this, microscopic “paths” are created in it, along which current passes through the circuit. At room temperature, 11 nonmetals (including hydrogen, nitrogen, chlorine) are gases. Phosphorus, carbon, sulfur and iodine are in the solid state, and bromine is in the liquid state. Liquid hydrogen (formed by compressing hydrogen gas) serves as fuel for rockets and other spacecraft.

Sometimes sphalerite crystals are clear, but they are very rarely used in jewelry because they are very fragile. Color Yellow, Brown, Grey, Black. Scrotum 3. 5-4 hardness. The name of the mineral comes from the Latin word for lead shine. Galena occurs in crystals, grains and large aggregates in hydrothermal veins.

In rocks in rocks, dolomites, sandstones in rocks. Galena is the main lead in the ore. Cinnamon is a mercury sulfide mineral. The most common mercury ore. Several mines of this age are still in use. This mineral is found in the form of a mineral filler. Crystal cell hexagonal.

Elements in the earth's crust

Most of the earth's crust is made up of just eight elements. Elements are rarely found in pure form; more often they are found in minerals. The mineral calcite is composed of calcium, carbon and oxygen. Calcite is part of limestone. Pyrolusite is composed of the metal manganese and oxygen. Sphalerite consists of sulfur. The most common element in the earth's crust is oxygen. It is often found in combination with another common element, silicon, as well as the most common metals, aluminum and iron. The picture shows sphalerite, which consists of zinc and steel.

Crossroads Prisms, large fragments Uneven half-flows. Moson's hardness is 2-2.5. Gypsum is hydrated calcium sulfate. Promoted sedimentary mineral. Gypsum mineral floors form the mountain deposits of the same name. Stand in enclosed bodies of water in hot climates. It can also be formed from anhydrite by reaction with water.

Gypsum consists of different brines and comes in different colors. The colorless form of gypsum is called selenite. The completely anhydrous form of calcium sulfate is called anhydride. Heated gypsum powder with semi-hydrated calcium sulfate. Gypsum is a very common mineral. Lithuania is located in the northern part. Its large layers are formed from closed reservoirs, gradually evaporating. Such large layers of gypsum were characteristic of the permeability period.

Atoms of elements

Atoms of elements are made up of smaller particles called elementary particles. An atom consists of a nucleus and electrons revolving around it. The atomic nucleus contains two types of particles: protons and neutrons. Atoms of different elements contain different numbers of protons. The number of protons in the nucleus is called the atomic number of the element (for more details, see the article “Atoms and Molecules”). As a rule, there are as many electrons in an atom as there are protons. There are 18 protons in an argon atom; The atomic number of argon is 18. The atom also has 18 electrons. There is only one proton in a hydrogen atom, and the atomic number of hydrogen is 1. Electrons revolve around the nucleus in different energy levels, ks are called shells. The first shell can accommodate two electrons, the second - 8 electrons, and the third - 18, although usually no more than 8 electrons circulate there. In the periodic table, elements are arranged according to their atomic numbers. Each rectangle contains the symbol of the element, its name, atomic number and relative atomic mass.

Gypsum hardness according to the Moschon scale. IN construction industry- gypsum, drywall, gypsum concrete, etc. for the production of materials. In medicine - for plaster casts. In agriculture, soil improvement.

They can fall from hot springs, hydrothermal veins, volcanic plates, or sulfate-rich springs. Another type of gypsum is industrial. When releasing sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, a process is often used that results in large quantities of gypsum.

Periodic table

The horizontal rows of the table are called periods. All elements belonging to the same period have the same number electronic shells. Elements of the 2nd period have two shells, elements of the 3rd period have three, and so on. The eight vertical rows are called groups, with a separate block of transition metals between the 2nd and 3rd groups. For elements with atomic numbers less than 20 (with the exception of transition metals), the group number coincides with the number of electrons in the outer level. Regular changes in the properties of elements of the same period are explained by changes in the number of electrons. So in the 2nd period, the melting temperature of solid elements gradually increases from lithium to carbon. All elements of the same group have similar chemical properties. Some groups have special names. Thus, group 1 consists of alkali metals, group 2 - alkaline earth metals. Group 7 elements are called halogens, group 8 elements are called noble gases. In the picture you see chalcopyrite, which contains copper, iron and sulfur.

There is the most common chemical element and the most common substance on our amazing planet, and there is the most common chemical element in the vastness of the Universe.

The most abundant chemical element on Earth

On our planet, the leader in abundance is oxygen. It interacts with almost all elements. Its atoms are found in almost all rocks and minerals that form the earth's crust. The modern period of development of chemistry began precisely with the discovery of this important and primary chemical element. The credit for this discovery is shared by Scheele, Priestley and Lavoisier. The debate about which of them is the discoverer has been going on for hundreds of years, and has not yet stopped. But the word “oxygen” itself was introduced into use by Lomonosov.

It accounts for a little more than forty-seven percent of the total solid mass of the earth's crust. Bound oxygen makes up almost eighty-nine percent of the mass of fresh and sea water. Free oxygen is found in the atmosphere, making up about twenty-three percent by mass and almost twenty-one percent by volume. At least one and a half thousand compounds in the earth's crust contain oxygen. There are no living cells in the world that do not contain this common element. Sixty-five percent of the mass of every living cell is oxygen.

Today, this substance is obtained industrially from the air and supplied under a pressure of 15 MPa in steel cylinders. There are other ways to get it. Areas of application – food industry, medicine, metallurgy, etc.

Where is the most common element found?

It is almost impossible to find a corner in nature where there is no oxygen. It is everywhere – in the depths, and high above the Earth, and under water, and in the water itself. It is found not only in compounds, but also in a free state. Most likely, it is precisely because of this that this element has always been of interest to scientists.

Geologists and chemists study the presence of oxygen in combination with all elements. Botanists are interested in studying the processes of plant nutrition and respiration. Physiologists have not fully elucidated the role of oxygen in the life of animals and humans. Physicists are trying to find new way its use to create high temperatures.

It is known that no matter whether it is hot southern air or cold air from northern regions, the oxygen content in it is always the same and amounts to twenty-one percent.

How is the most common substance used?

As the most abundant known substance on the planet, water is used everywhere. This substance covers and permeates everything, but it remains little studied. Studying it in depth modern science I took it up relatively recently. Scientists have discovered many of its properties that cannot yet be explained.

Not a single day is complete without this most common substance. economic activity person. It's hard to imagine Agriculture or industry without water, they also won’t work without this substance nuclear reactors, turbines, power plants where water is used for cooling. For household needs, people use more and more from year to year. of this substance. So for a Stone Age man, ten liters of water per day was quite enough. Today, every inhabitant of the Earth collectively uses at least two hundred and twenty liters every day. Humans are made up of eighty percent water; everyone consumes at least one and a half liters of liquid every day.

The most abundant chemical element in the Universe

Three-quarters of the entire Universe is hydrogen, in other words, this is the most common element in the Universe. Water, being the most common substance on our planet, consists of more than eleven percent hydrogen.

In the earth's crust, hydrogen is one percent by mass, but by the number of atoms it is as much as sixteen percent. Such compounds as natural gases, oil and coal cannot do without the presence of hydrogen.

It should be noted that this common element is extremely rare in the free state. On the surface of our planet, it is present in small quantities in some natural gases, including volcanic ones. There is free hydrogen in the atmosphere, but its presence there is extremely small. It is hydrogen that is the element that creates the radiation inner earth belt, like a flow of protons.

Many stars and the sun are made up of approximately fifty percent hydrogen, where it is present in the form of plasma. Most of the interstellar medium, as well as the gases of nebulae, consists of it. Hydrogen is also present in the atmospheres of planets and comets.

It was identified as a chemical element in 1766. Henry Cavendish did it. Fifteen years later, he found out that the result of the interaction of hydrogen with oxygen is water. The “character” of hydrogen is truly explosive, which is why it received the name explosive gas.

But the largest star in the universe has a diameter of 1,391,000.
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What is the most abundant substance in the Universe? Let's approach this issue logically. It seems to be known that this is hydrogen. Hydrogen H makes up 74% of the mass of matter in the Universe.

Let’s not go into the wilds of the unknown here, we won’t count Dark Matter and Dark Energy, we’ll only talk about ordinary matter, about the usual chemical elements located in (at the moment) 118 cells of the periodic table.

Hydrogen as it is

Atomic hydrogen H 1 is what all stars in galaxies are made of, this is the bulk of our familiar matter, which scientists call baryonic. Baryonic matter consists of ordinary protons, neutrons and electrons and is synonymous with the word substance.

But monatomic hydrogen is not exactly a chemical substance in our native, earthly understanding. This is a chemical element. And by substance we usually mean some kind of chemical compound, i.e. combination of chemical elements. It is clear that the simplest chemical substance is a compound of hydrogen with hydrogen, i.e. ordinary hydrogen gas H 2, which we know and love and with which we fill zeppelin airships, from which they then explode beautifully.

Dihydrogen H2 fills most gas clouds and nebulae in space. When, under the influence of their own gravity, they gather into stars, the rising temperature tears apart chemical bond, turning it into atomic hydrogen H 1, and the ever-increasing temperature removes the electron e- from a hydrogen atom, turning into a hydrogen ion or just a proton p+ . In stars, all matter is in the form of such ions, which form the fourth state of matter - plasma.

Again, the chemical hydrogen is not a very interesting thing, it is too simple, let's look for something more complex. Compounds made up of different chemical elements.

The next most abundant chemical element in the Universe is helium. He, it is 24% of the total mass in the Universe. In theory, the most common complex chemical there should be a compound of hydrogen and helium, but the trouble is, helium - inert gas. Under ordinary and even not very ordinary conditions, helium will not combine with other substances or with itself. By cunning tricks he can be forced to enter into chemical reactions, but such compounds are rare and usually do not last long.

This means we need to look for hydrogen compounds with the next most common chemical elements.
They account for only 2% of the mass of the Universe, when 98% is made up of the aforementioned hydrogen and helium.

The third most widely used product is not lithium. Li, as it might seem, looking at the periodic table. The next most abundant element in the universe is oxygen. O, which we all know, love and breathe in the form of a colorless and odorless diatomic gas, O 2. The amount of oxygen in space far outstrips all other elements from the 2% that remained minus hydrogen and helium, in fact half of the remainder, i.e. approximately 1%.

This means that the most common substance in the Universe turns out to be (we derived this postulate logically, but this is also confirmed by experimental observations) the most ordinary water H2O.

There is more water (mostly frozen in the form of ice) in the Universe than anything else. Minus hydrogen and helium, of course.

Everything is made of water, literally everything. Our Solar System also consists of water. Well, in the sense that the Sun, of course, consists mainly of hydrogen and helium, and giant gas planets like Jupiter and Saturn are assembled from them. But all the rest of the matter of the Solar System is not concentrated in rock-like planets with a metal core like Earth or Mars, and not in stone belt asteroids. The bulk of the Solar System is in the icy debris left over from its formation; comets, most of the asteroids of the second belt (Kuiper belt) and the Oort cloud, located even further, are made of ice.

For example, the famous former planet Pluto (now dwarf planet Pluto) consists of 4/5 parts ice.

It is clear that if water is far from the Sun or any star, it freezes and turns into ice. And if too close, it evaporates, becoming water vapor, which is carried away by the solar wind (a stream of charged particles emitted by the Sun) to distant regions of the star system, where it freezes and again turns into ice.

But around any star (I repeat, around any star!) there is a zone where this water (which, again, is the most common substance in the Universe) is in the liquid phase of water itself.

The habitable zone around a star, surrounded by zones that are too hot and too cold.

There is a hell of a lot of liquid water in the Universe. Around any of the 100 billion stars in our galaxy Milky Way there are zones called Habitability Zone, in which there is liquid water, if there are planets there, and they should be there, even if not at every star, then at every third, or even every tenth.

I'll say more. Ice can melt not only from the light of a star. In our Solar System there are a lot of satellite moons orbiting gas giants, where it is too cold from lack of sunlight, but which are affected by powerful tidal forces of the corresponding planets. It has been proven that liquid water exists on Saturn’s moon Enceladus, it is assumed that it exists on Jupiter’s moons Europa and Ganymede, and probably many other places.

Water geysers on Enceladus captured by the Cassini probe

Even on Mars, scientists suggest that liquid water may exist in underground lakes and caverns.

Do you think I’m now going to start talking about the fact that since water is the most common substance in the Universe, that means hello to other life forms, hello to aliens? No, just the opposite. I find it funny when I hear the statements of some overly enthusiastic astrophysicists - “look for water, you will find life.” Or - “there is water on Enceladus/Europa/Ganymede, which means there must probably be life there.” Or - an exoplanet located in the habitable zone was discovered in the Gliese 581 system. There is water there, we urgently equip an expedition in search of life!”

There is a lot of water in the Universe. But life, according to modern scientific data, is still somehow not very good.

Of course, in our understanding this is something unified. But it has its own structure and composition. This includes everyone celestial bodies and objects, matter, energy, gas, dust and much more. All this was formed and exists, regardless of whether we see it or feel it.

Scientists have long been considering the following questions: What formed such a universe? And what elements fill it?

Today we will talk about which element is the most common in the universe.

It turns out that this chemical element is the lightest in the world. In addition, its monatomic form makes up approximately 87% of the total composition of the universe. In addition, it is found in most molecular compounds. Even in water, or, for example, it is part of organic matter. In addition, hydrogen is a particularly important component of acid-base reactions.
In addition, the element is soluble in most metals. Interestingly, hydrogen is odorless, colorless and tasteless.

In the process of studying, scientists called hydrogen a flammable gas.
As soon as they did not define it. At one time he bore the name of the one who gives birth to water, and then the water-making substance.
Only in 1824 was it given the name hydrogen.

Hydrogen makes up 88.6% of all atoms. The rest is mostly helium. And only a small part is other elements.
Consequently, stars and other gases contain mainly hydrogen.
By the way, again it is also present in stellar temperatures. However, in the form of plasma. And in outer space it is presented in the form of molecules, atoms and ions. Interestingly, hydrogen is capable of forming molecular clouds.

Characteristics of hydrogen

Hydrogen is a unique element because it does not have a neutron. It contains only one proton and an electron.
As stated, it is the lightest gas. It is important that the smaller the mass of the molecules, the higher their speed. Even temperature does not affect this.
The thermal conductivity of hydrogen is one of the highest among all gases.
Among other things, it is highly soluble in metals, which affects its ability to diffuse through them. Sometimes the process leads to destruction. For example, the interaction of hydrogen and carbon. In this case, decarbonization occurs.

The emergence of hydrogen

Appeared in the universe after the Big Bang. Like all chemical elements. According to the theory, in the first microseconds after the explosion, the temperature of the universe was above 100 billion degrees. What formed the bond of three quarks. In turn, this interaction created a proton. Thus, the nucleus of the hydrogen atom emerged. During the expansion process, the temperature dropped and quarks formed protons and neutrons. This is how hydrogen actually came into being.

In the interval from 1 to 100 seconds after the formation of the universe, some protons and neutrons combined. Thus forming another element - helium.
Subsequent expansion of space and, as a consequence, a decrease in temperature stopped the connecting reactions. What's important is that they launched again inside the stars. This is how atoms of other chemical elements were formed.
As a result, it turns out that hydrogen and helium are the main engines for the formation of other elements.

Helium is generally the second most abundant element in the universe. Its share is 11.3% of all outer space.

Properties of helium

It, like hydrogen, is odorless, colorless and tasteless. In addition, it is the second lightest gas. But its boiling point is the lowest known.

Helium is an inert, non-toxic and monatomic gas. Its thermal conductivity is high. According to this characteristic, it again ranks second after hydrogen.
Helium is extracted using the separation method at low temperature.
Interestingly, helium was previously considered a metal. But during the study it was determined that it was gas. Moreover, the main one in the composition of the universe.

All the elements on Earth, with the exception of hydrogen and helium, were created billions of years ago by the alchemy of stars, some of which are now inconspicuous white dwarfs somewhere on the other side of the Milky Way. The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies are created in the depths of collapsing stars.

We are created from star matter.
Carl Sagan

Applying elements

Humanity has learned to extract and use chemical elements for their benefit. Thus, hydrogen and helium are used in many fields of activity. For example, in:

Food Industry;
metallurgy;
chemical industry;
oil refining;
electronics production;
cosmetic industry;
geology;
even in military sphere and etc.

As you can see, these elements play an important role in the life of the universe. Obviously, our very existence directly depends on them. We know that there is growth and movement happening every minute. And despite the fact that they are small individually, everything around is based on these elements.
Truly, hydrogen and helium, as well as other chemical elements, are unique and amazing. Perhaps it is impossible to argue with this.