this post was submitted on 18 Jun 2025
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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?
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).
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.