Eli5: Why does Helium have a lower melting point than Hydrogen?

Question

Pure hydrogen is less dense than pure helium. Why does it have a higher melting point?

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

Because density doesn’t really change anything – it’s about how much the molecules are attracted to each other. Helium is a noble gas, with its whole outer electron shell full, and so it has very little intermolecular attraction – less than hydrogen.