Helium Recovery dealers has never quite lived up to its illustrious name. The second-smallest element, named for Helios, the Greek Titan who personified the sun, has been relegated to a less prominent role than its etymology would suggest. It often plays understudy to other elements or serves a supporting function in modern technologies. Nevertheless, in a select few applications, it is irreplaceable.
Occurring naturally as a gas, helium, with its two electrons, two neutrons and two protons, is the lightest of all the noble gases. It is also inert, or nonreactive, a property that makes it vital to the production of semiconductors and other high-end electronics.
That helium is the second-most abundant element in the universe would seem a boon to the industries that rely on the gas. But because it easily escapes the Earth’s atmosphere, helium purification system is rarer on the land below.