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What would you get if you split up Helium and how would you do it?


Replies:
Helium actually comes in two varieties - Helium-4 and Helium-3. Helium-4 is the much more common version, and the nucleus of He-4 is extremely stable (it is often a decay product of radioactivity, where it is called an "alpha particle"). He-4 and He-3 are both surprisingly interesting substances, considering that they do not react chemically with anything. "Splitting" them in the sense of nuclear fission is difficult, but what you get would be 2 or more nuclei of some form of hydrogen (possibly with some He-3). Joining the hydrogen's together to make He in the first place is difficult enough though.

Arthur Smith


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