mikel@cory.Berkeley.EDU (Mike Liang) (10/09/86)
[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%cory@ucbvax.berkeley.edu ..ucbvax!cory!mikel
bl@hplabsb.UUCP (Bruce T. Lowerre) (10/10/86)
In article <520@zen.BERKELEY.EDU>, mikel@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.
grr@cbmvax.cbm.UUCP (George Robbins) (10/11/86)
In article <520@zen.BERKELEY.EDU> mikel@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!grr@seismo.css.GOV Commodore, Engineering Department fone: 215-431-9255 (only by moonlite)
jjc@teddy.UUCP (Jean J. Cote) (10/14/86)
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.
fay@encore.UUCP (Peter Fay) (10/16/86)
In article <520@zen.BERKELEY.EDU> mikel@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.
donch@tekirl.UUCP (10/18/86)
In article <520@zen.BERKELEY.EDU>, mikel@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.
donch@tekirl.UUCP (10/21/86)
> 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.