Abstract According to the research on the development of helium in 1868, British astronomers Pogson observed the spectrum of D3 in the solar spectrum for the first time, British astronomer Lockyer and French astronomer unveiled spectrum of D3, Lockyer named it helium and put forward the hypothesis that helium was a new element. In 1895, British chemists Ramsay and Travers confirmed the existence of helium through experiments, and helium was finally included in the periodic table as a new element in 1905.Helium was originally thought to be an inert element. In 2016, Wang Huitian’s team at Nankai University in China and its international collaborators prepared sodium heliate, breaking the barrier of helium inertia and developing the concept of helium. Various factors led to the misdescription of the spectroscopic discovery of helium and the delay in the discovery of helium. Astronomers and chemists worked together to advance the discovery of helium and the preparation of helium compounds. The formation and development of the concept of helium reflected the development of scientific methods and ideas.
JIANG Zhi-Wu, YUAN Zhen-Dong. From Astronomical Hypothesis to Chemical Demonstration: Discovery ofHelium and Development of Its Concept[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Education, 2023, 44(13): 124-128.
