Hydrogen (NFT #1)

Attributes:

Atomic Number: 1

Symbol: H

Atomic Mass: 1.008

Group: 1

Period: 1

Category: Nonmetal

Density: 0.08988 g/L

Melting Point: -259.16 °C

Boiling Point: -252.87 °C
 

Description: Hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant element in the universe, making up approximately 75% of its elemental mass. Discovered by Henry Cavendish in 1766, hydrogen is essential in the field of chemistry and is a primary building block of the universe.
 

Historical Excerpt: Henry Cavendish, an English scientist, was the first to recognize hydrogen as a distinct substance in 1766. He called it "inflammable air" because it produced water when burned, a reaction that Antoine Lavoisier later used to name the element hydrogen, from the Greek words for "water-former."
 

Current Uses: Hydrogen is widely used in various industries today. It is crucial in the production of ammonia for fertilizers, refining petroleum, and as a fuel source in hydrogen fuel cells, which offer a clean energy alternative by producing only water as a byproduct.

Helium (NFT #2)

Attributes:

Atomic Number: 2

Symbol: He

Atomic Mass: 4.002602

Group: 18

Period: 1

Category: Noble Gas

Density: 0.1786 g/L

Melting Point: -272.20 °C

Boiling Point: -268.93 °C
 

Description: Helium is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table. It is the second lightest and second most abundant element in the observable universe.
 

Historical Excerpt: Helium was first detected in 1868 as an unknown yellow spectral line signature in sunlight during a solar eclipse. French astronomer Jules Janssen and English astronomer Joseph Norman Lockyer are credited with the discovery, leading to the naming of the element after the Greek word for the Sun, "Helios."
 

Current Uses: Helium has diverse applications, including in cryogenics, particularly in cooling superconducting magnets, as used in MRI scanners. It's also critical for scientific research, acts as a protective gas in arc welding, and fills balloons and airships due to its low density and non-flammable nature.