• MysteriousSophon21@lemmy.world
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    14 hours ago

    Yep, helium is even worse for leaking! It’s actually the smallest noble gas and can escape through tiny pores that even hydrogen can’t fit through. Thats why helium balloons deflate faster than air balloons - the atoms literally seep through the balloon material.

    • stephen01king@lemmy.zip
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      13 hours ago

      How does Helium fit through places that Hydrogen can’t even though its bigger? Is it because Hydrogen would react with things along the way while Helium won’t?

      • gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de
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        8 hours ago

        I suspect it’s because the hydrogen molecules are bigger than a single helium atom, which doesn’t form molecules (since it’s a noble gas).

        So the hydrogen molecule only seeps through if it’s oriented right (since the hydrogen molecule is a stick-shaped molecule).

      • Cocodapuf@lemmy.world
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        10 hours ago

        I’m also curious, I thought hydrogen was the worst in this regard.

        I like your theory on hydrogen reacting as it moves through materials.