Question

Write any three uses of helium.

Answer 1

Hint: Helium is the element of noble gas, i.e., group 18 and period 1. There are many properties of helium like non-inflammable, low solubility in blood, very light, it is used as a mixture with nitrogen and oxygen.

Complete answer:
Helium is the element of p-block and it is the first member of the noble gas group, i.e., group 18. Its atomic number is 2, so there are 2 electrons in a helium atom. Therefore, its configuration will be:
$1s^2$
There are many properties of helium like non-inflammable, low solubility in blood, very light, it is used as a mixture with oxygen which can be used in many ways.
The most common or chief use of helium is in the filling of balloons which are employed for meteorological observation. Although the lifting power of helium is 8% less than that of hydrogen, yet it is preferred because it is non-inflammable.
We can also use liquid helium as a cryogenic agent for carrying out various experiments at low temperatures. It is used to produce and sustain powerful superconducting magnets which form an essential part of modern NMR spectrometers and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) systems used for clinical diagnosis.
Since helium has very low solubility in blood, an oxygen-helium mixture is used for artificial respiration in deep-sea diving instead of air because nitrogen present in the air dissolves in blood under high pressure when sea diver goes into the deep sea. When he comes to the surface, nitrogen bubbles out of the blood due to the sudden release of pressure causing pain. This disease is called "bends".

Note:
For the treatment of asthma, helium can be also used. Since it is an element of noble gas, it is unreactive and does not become radioactive. It can be used for creating an inert atmosphere.