Helium Balloons

Mike Liang

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Oct 9, 1986, 2:17:12 PM10/9/86

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[POP!]

I just opened up my dead helium ballon of two days to breath in and speak like
like Donald Duck today and it didn't work. Does the helium mutate or diffuse
out of the balloon and regular air diffuse in or what?

Mike
mikel%co...@ucbvax.berkeley.edu
..ucbvax!cory!mikel

Bruce T. Lowerre

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Oct 10, 1986, 12:34:26 PM10/10/86

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In article <5...@zen.BERKELEY.EDU>, mi...@cory.Berkeley.EDU (Mike Liang) writes:
> [POP!]
>
> I just opened up my dead helium ballon of two days to breath in and speak like
> like Donald Duck today and it didn't work. Does the helium mutate or diffuse

^^^^^^^

> out of the balloon and regular air diffuse in or what?

Yes. Diffusion takes place across a membrane from a higher concentration to a
lower concentration. The rate of diffusion is affected by the mass of the
molecules. Diffusion goes in both directions, i.e., the helium molecules
(which are identical to helium atoms) diffuse out and air molecules (diatomic)
diffuse in. However, since the helium is much lighter than the air molecules,
the helium diffuses out at a higher rate than the air diffuses in. So, your
balloon shrunk and filled with air.

George Robbins

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Oct 11, 1986, 1:58:38 PM10/11/86

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In article <5...@zen.BERKELEY.EDU> mi...@cory.Berkeley.EDU (Mike Liang) writes:
>[POP!]
>
>I just opened up my dead helium ballon of two days to breath in and speak like
>like Donald Duck today and it didn't work. Does the helium mutate or diffuse
>out of the balloon and regular air diffuse in or what?
>
> Mike

Yes, helium has the world's smallest atoms/molecules, and they diffuse through
the rubber quite easily. Actually Hydrogen atoms are probably smaller, but
they always go about in pairs...

--
George Robbins - now working for, uucp: {ihnp4|seismo|caip}!cbmvax!grr
but no way officially representing arpa: cbmvax!g...@seismo.css.GOV
Commodore, Engineering Department fone: 215-431-9255 (only by moonlite)

Jean J. Cote

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Oct 14, 1986, 1:21:01 PM10/14/86

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Careful! Although diffusion certainly takes place through balloon rubber, a
lot of the loss seems to be through the neck of the balloon. If you wrap
the string tightly around the neck, just above the knot, the balloon will
last longer.

Peter Fay

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Oct 16, 1986, 10:06:40 AM10/16/86

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In article <5...@zen.BERKELEY.EDU> mi...@cory.Berkeley.EDU (Mike Liang) writes:

>[POP!]
>
>I just opened up my dead helium ballon of two days to breath in and speak like
>like Donald Duck today and it didn't work. Does the helium mutate or diffuse
>out of the balloon and regular air diffuse in or what?
>

Helium molecules are too small to stay inside a mushy balloon for very
long. Next time try one of those foil-type balloons. My daughters have
lost more than one of them to their helium-munging father.

do...@tekirl.uucp

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Oct 17, 1986, 6:55:17 PM10/17/86

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In article <5...@zen.BERKELEY.EDU>, mi...@cory.Berkeley.EDU (Mike Liang) writes:

> [POP!]
>
> I just opened up my dead helium ballon of two days to breath in and speak like
> like Donald Duck today and it didn't work. Does the helium mutate or diffuse
> out of the balloon and regular air diffuse in or what?
>

Helium will diffuse through ANYTHING! It is a very small molecule (it comes
in twos--He2) and is almost impossible to keep in or out of things. In high
vacuum work, helium is the standard media used for leak checking, largely
because of its incredible mobility.

So, yeah, it just leaked out of your balloon, but not through any hole you
or anyone else made (unless the fill hole was tied in a knot instead of
sealed or heat-fused.)

Don Chitwood
Tektronix, Inc.

do...@tekirl.uucp

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Oct 20, 1986, 7:30:35 PM10/20/86

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> Helium . . . comes in twos--He2.

I was wrong on a point of chemistry here. Helium is monoatomic, i.e. it exists
in nature as a single atom. Thanks to those who corrected me.

Don Chitwood
Tektronix, Inc.