Celebrating 150 years of the periodic table

For the 150th anniversary of the periodic table, we asked our scientists about their favourite element

Prof. Dr. Manami Sasaki, Dr. Karl Remeis Observatory Bamberg – Astronomical Institute, on helium:

“After hydrogen, helium is the second most common element in the universe and accounts for about 25 percent of the mass of visible matter. The element was first found in the solar spectrum and is therefore called helium – after “hélios”, the classical Greek word for “sun”. Helium is an inert gas and does not only play a vital role in astronomy, but also in quantum mechanics, for example, because it is the simplest multi-electron atom and allows for calculations of atomic states. It is also used as a filling gas for balloons and can be a lot of fun, since the voice can become very high after inhaling helium due to the higher speed of sound relative to the air.”

Further interviews within the framework of the “150 Jahre Periodensystem” series as well as more exciting stories about FAU can be found on our website and the FAU Facebook page.