** Shares of Noble Helium slump as much as 16.4% to a record low of A$0.046

** The commodity chemicals explorer says it has received firm commitments to raise A$3 mln ($2.04 mln) via a share placement

** Issue price of A$0.045 represents a 16.7% discount to the last trading price on Sept 18

** Around 1.1 mln shares change hands, 2.3 times compared with the 30-day average volume of 469,084 shares

** Shares set for worst day since mid-Dec, if current trend holds

** Including day's moves, stock has fallen ~55.2%

($1 = 1.4680 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Archishma Iyer)

((Archishma.Iyer@thomsonreuters.com;))