Helium is sometimes called "the forgotten element." Helium is a noble gas, meaning that it does not react with any other element to form compounds. It is the second most abundant element in the atmosphere and the sixth most abundant element in Earth's crust. Helium is essential for plant life and human respiration.
Structure
Helium has a rigid tetrahedral structure that can easily be influenced by external fields and can adopt many less stable configurations, some of which are reactive.
The helium trend started when light, volatile and inert gases were used to fill balloons. The atmosphere makes up only a small fraction of it.
Uses
The uses for helium are limited to a few specialized fields, including medicine, manufacturing, and research. It is also used in cryogenics.
Helium has no known uses inside or outside of living beings except for inert shielding when it is mixed with other gases, such as argon, to create liquid argon lasers.
Helium is used in cryogenics, in medical applications, for deep sea diving, for boosting rocket engines and for making artificial voices sound more high pitched.
Disadvantages
Helium is a non-renewable resource and its usage cannot be halted without major consequences on other fields. It has been predicted by scientists that there will be a global shortage of helium by 2020 due to rapid growth in demand during the last decade.
It has a few disadvantages since this gas cannot be liquefied at any temperature due to its low melting point of 4K (-269°C).
One of the disadvantages of helium is that it can be expensive to produce helium gas. This can make it difficult for industries like medical equipment manufacturers or hobbyists who need small quantities of the gas to use it on a regular basis.