THE SIMPLEST THINGS

THAT FORM ALL THINGS

 MANORAMA

TELL ME WHY
July 2018 • Volume: 12 • No: 7
FROM THE HOUSE OF MAGIC POT, THE WEEK, MANORAMA YEARBOOK,
VANITHA & THE MALAYALA MANORAMA DAILY

ALL ABOUT ELEMENTS

Xu Fu, the renowned a lchemist in
Ancient China, once came u p with an
elixir for i mmortality. The Emperor of
China who longed to be i mmortal,
consumed the medicine first. But to
everyone's dismay, the emperor
turned i nsane, and eventual ly died.
The cause of death was nothi ng but
Xu Fu's secret medicine itself - mer­
cury, a toxic element.
Once used as a medicine, the ele­
Yes, ment mercu ry is toxic enough to take
we're in our one's life. But not all elements are
ELEMENT,
toxic, and to be feared. I n fact, life
here!
itself cannot exist without elements.
Man, for example, survives by breath­
i ng oxygen, whereas plants need the
element nitrogen to g row. In other
words, elements are the building
blocks of the universe. I n fact, every­
thing you see or touch, is com posed
of one or more of 94 elements.
This issue of Tell Me Why helps you
explore the absorbing and i ncredi ble
world of elements.
 Is the human body composed of
elements?

E very part of the human body is

made up of elements at the most
basic level. So is the case with eve­
rything else in the universe.
If we observe the construction of
a building, we will see the builder
placing one brick over another to
raise a wall. Elements to things, are
like bricks to a building. They are
the fundamental building blocks of
matter. We know of 1 1 8 kinds of
elements today.
What makes one kind of element
d ifferent from a nother is the num­
ber of protons i n its atomic nucleus.
Hydrogen has only one proton in its
Wow ... a list nucleus; whereas, oxygen has 8.
of my building These numbers are known as the
blocks? atomic numbers of these elements.
An element is known by its atom­
ic number and a symbol. The sym­
bol is often an abbreviation of the
Latin name of the element. While
the symbol of hydrogen is H, the
symbol of i ron is 'Fe'. This is because
i ron is 'ferrum' in Latin . Of the 1 1 8
elements that we know today, not
all elements occur naturally on
Earth. Ninety-fou r of them are natu­
ral, while many others can be cre­
ated artificially.
4 Tell Me Why
 What
are atoms,
if everything
is composed of
elements?

P h ilosophers in
a ncient times believed
that everything in the u n i­
verse was composed of
extremely small and ind ivis­
ible u nits called atoms. But neutral, as the n u m ber of
their idea of an atom differed protons and electrons in it is
from what modern scientists equal. John Dalton, a
u nderstand of it today. I n fact, renowned English scientist, is
elements, the basic building known for introd ucing atomic
blocks of matter, a re composed theory into chemistry.
of tiny particles called atoms. Atoms of the same element
And what are atoms made are identical. For example, all
up of, in turn? Every atom has atoms i n oxygen a re the same.
a nucleus. It is made up of Atoms of one element can
protons and neutrons and is combine with atoms of
surrounded by the electron another element to form
cloud. new substances. Such new
Protons possess positive su bstances are known as
electrical charge and chemical compounds. A
electrons carry nega­ compound is atoms
tive electrical charge. from diverse elements
Neutrons have no combined together.
electrical charge Water, sugar, and
at all. An atom salt are exam­
is usually ples.

ELEMENTS 5
Is the periodic table designed
by Dmitri Mendeleev?

The periodic table as we

know it today is not a work of a
single i ndividual. Many brilliant
men have devoted their time
and energy to its design and
completion.
In 1 789, Antoine Lavoisier, a
French chemist, published a
table with 33 elements known
at that time. However, the
breakthrough came when two
d istinguished scientists, Dmitri
Mendeleev, a Russian chemis­
try professor, and J u l i us Lothar
Meyer, a German chemist, Dmitri Mendeleev
independently published their
periodic tables i n 1 869 and the popular layout of the peri­
1 870 respectively. Mende­ odic table we have today.
leev's period ic table gained The periodic table lists and
more popularity than Meyer's, arranges elements in the order
and gradually, his table was of their atomic number. There
recognized and widely used by are rows and col u m ns in it. The
the scientific comm u n ity world vertical col u m n in the table is
over. known as a group, while the
Mendeleev's achievement horizontal row is called a peri­
has an interesting anecdote od. These groups are assigned
associated with it. It is said that numbers, and some of these
the idea of periodic table groups have accepted names.
occurred to him in a d ream! He For exam ple, elements of
was dreaming about a card group 1 7 are known as halo­
game of Patience. Horace gens; and number1 8 is the
Groves Demi ng is credited for group of noble gases.

6 Tell Me Why
 Hydrogen is the lig ht­
est of all elements. It is
even lighter than air; and
therefore, i n its pure
form it will easily escape
from Earth's gravity into
space. Hence, hydrogen
present on earth exists in
Can hydrogen propel rockets? chemical compounds
such as water. When
You must have seen the launching extreme pressure is
of rockets on television. Rockets shoot applied to it, hydrogen
up straight into the sky, and disa p­ turns i nto liquid form. Its
pear among the clouds i n no time. atomic n u m ber is one
They are so fast. The element used for and the symbol is H.
the propu lsion of rockets is hydrogen.
Hydrogen is the most abundant ele­
ment i n the universe. And it is a highly
flammable element. When hydrogen
comes in contact with oxygen, it pro­
duces violent reactions. The explo­
sion generates sufficient energy to
propel the rocket u pward and break T
the gravitational pull of the Earth. In the 1 91h century,
Besides, the reaction produces an match makers suf­
almost i nvisible flame too. fered from 'Phossy
Hydrogen is a colourless gas. And it Jaw' as they were
is the only element which lacks any exposed to too much
neutrons. Let us look at some other of white phosphorous
characteristics that make this ele­ which ate away their
ment special! jaw bones.

ELEM ENTS 7
Which element floats a party balloon?

D uring festivals or birthday par­

ties, you may have seen balloons
that float in the air. If you release
their string from your hands,
they wil l slowly rise up i n the air
and disappear. What makes
them float in the air?
It is the element Helium. Helium
is one of the lightest gaseous ele­
ments in the periodic table. It is also
one of the least dense elements.
These qualities make heli u m an ideal
element for lifti ng things such as
weather bal loons, or party balloons.
There is something really curious
about the discovery of this element.
This is the only element which was dis­
covered in space, before its presence
was found on earth! It was first detect­
ed as an unknown yellow spectral line
i n sunlight during a solar eclipse in
1 868 by Georges Rayet, Captai n C. T.
Haig, Norman R. Pogson, and Lieuten­
ant John Herschel. It was subsequent­
ly confirmed by French astronomer
J ules Janssen.
If you have gone scuba diving, heli­
um would have certainly helped you.
Helium is used in specialized 'breath­
i ng mixtures' of gases for deep-sea
diving because it is non-toxic, and
can be easily compressed. Its atomic
number is two and the symbol is He.
What makes your wristwatch tick?

You may have seen little thumb­

nail sized, or even smaller battery
cells used in watches and other
electronic gadgets. We often
wonder how such tiny things can
power machines. Lithi u m is the
element that gives them power.
U nder standard conditions
lithium is the lightest metal; and
therefore, this element is ideal for
small batteries which must be light
and compact for their use i n wrist­
watches, pocket calculators, toys and
even cardiac pacemakers. Due to its
lightness, it is also very useful in air­
craft manufacture.
The speciality of lithium does not
end there. It is also a very soft metal. It
is so soft that with your kitchen knife
you can cut it i nto pieces. The element
is also so low in density that if you drop
it in water, it floats!
Scientists believe that the origi n of
lithium can be traced back to the Big
Bang. Lithium must be one of the Helium takes its
three elements thought to have come name from 'Helios,'
i nto existence during the Big Bang. the Greek sun god,
Lithium is abundant i n sea water. as it is in the Sun
However, its presence in the soi l is very that the element
minimal. Lithium is represented as Li,
and has the atomic n u m ber three.
 scientists are credited for iso­
lating the metal from beryl and
emeralds. Friedrich Woh ler and
Antoine Bussy achieved the
--�- ....- feat in 1 828. And guess what?
They did this i ndependently of
each other!
Beryllium's presence can be
traced in more than 1 00 miner­
Is beryllium salts sweet in als. However, extracting the
taste? element from them is not an
easy task.
B eryl lium salts a re sweet in Adding beryllium to other
taste. But they are very toxic metals makes them stronger.
too. The element beryl l i u m was When copper is mixed with
once known as 'glucine' due to small amounts of beryllium,
its flavour, and was represent­ beryllium copper is produced.
ed as Gl. In Greek, g l ucine This metal is six times stronger
means sweetness. than copper taken alone.
Beryllium has been in use for Beryll i u m appears 41h in the
thousands of years. However, periodic table. Its atomic sym­
in the modern era, it was a sci- bol is Be.
entist called
N icolas Louis
Vauquelin who
discovered the
element for the
first time in emer­
alds in 1798. Two

10 TP.II Me Whv
 Is
boron
a n element
that we come in
contact with eve­
ryday?
point. This quality makes
B oron is one element it a suitable i n g redient of
that is found i n every a host of materials such as
household. Whether you pyrex g lass and ceramic
want to wash you r clothes, glazes for tiles and kitchen
or g row some garden plants equ ipment. Boron makes
in your backyard, boron is them resistant to heat.
indispensable. The reason is Boron's household utilities
that boron compounds are do not end there. Its com­
used i n detergents, i nsecti­ pounds are used in the manu­
cides, and fertil izers. Boron is facture of face powder, as its
both a common chemical presence provides a smooth
i ngredient and an i mportant and silky texture and makes
n utrient for plants. the skin look flawless.
Boron receives its name Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac,
from the Arabic word, and Louis Jacques Thenard
'buraq'. It means borax, a were the scientists who
m ineral from which first discovered boron i n
boron is extracted. 1 808. Its atomic n u m-
Boron has a ·very ber is 5, and the
high melting symbol is B.

EL E M ENTS
Is d ia mond a carbon? bon comes fou rth in abun­
da nee when the entire U niverse
D iamond is i n fact, a type of is taken i nto account.
carbon. Carbon is capable of Carbon boasts of more com­
forming many allotropes. Well­ pounds than most of the other
known forms include d iamond elements in nature-arou nd 1 0
and graphite. m i l l ion compounds i n all. Its
Diamond, the hardest sub­ life is cyclical, as it undergoes a
stance that Man has ever never-ending process of circu­
known, is a solid form of car­ lating through air, oceans,
bon. Graphite is a nother form rocks, plants, and a n i mals.
of it. It is widely used in the Carbon is a n element which
manufacture of batteries, and
the brake systems of vehi­
cles. Besides the two
there are many other
forms of carbon too,
such as amorphous
carbon, and buckmin­
sterfullerene. A curious
fact is, while diamond is the
hardest material, graphite is
one of the softest known mate­
rials in nature.
The presence of carbon is
essential to our planet because is used in most of the i ndustries
it is an element that sustains in the world. People across the
l ife on Earth. It is a key element globe use carbon in the form of
to l ife. coal, and crude oil. Black ink for
Carbon is the second most printers and colou rs for paint­
abundant element in the ing are also produced from car­
h u man body. The h u ma n body bon.
contains about 1 6 kilogrammes Atomic n um ber of this ele­
of carbon in diverse forms. Car- ment is 6, and the symbol is C.
 How abundant is n itrogen in
the universe?

A common element in the uni­

verse, nitrogen ran ks seventh in
abundance. Normally, nitrogen is
found as an odourless, colourless
Carbon was gas.
named so by This element is found in all living
Antoine Lavoisier things. About three per cent of the
in 1 789. The Latin, mass of the huma n body is this ele­
English, French, ment. After oxygen, carbon and
German, Dutch, hydrogen, three vital constituent
and Danish words elements of the h u m a n body, nitro­
for carbon all gen is the fourth abundant element
mean the same: in h umans.
"coal" N itrogen is an i mportant element
when it comes to its industrial utility.
I n food storage facilities and to keep
packaged foods fresh, n itrogen gas is
used. The element has a major role in
the making of certai n electronic parts
of many useful applications.
Have you heard about laughing
gas? It is in fact, a chemical compound
of n itrogen, called n itrous oxide. The
compound's ability to relax and bright­
en up people is what g ives it this name.
I n explosives such as dynamites,
nitroglycerin is u sed. The demoli­
tion and construction industries
have often great use of this ele­
ment. Its atomic n u m ber is seven
and the symbol is N .
Which is the element that
sustains life o n earth?

W hen it comes to maintain­

ing life on earth, there is no ele­
ment as important as oxygen.
Without this element, we Water Fact
would be dead in no time! Normally, fresh water
I nvisible and odourless, it q u i­ contains about 6.04 ml
etly continues to susta i n and of oxygen per litre,
nourish l ife i n nature. No doubt, while sea water contains
oxygen is synonymous with about 4.95 ml of
life. oxygen per litre.
Oxygen makes u p one fifth of
the earth's atmosphere. It
comes third in terms of its plants. The density level of oxy­
abundance by mass in the gen becomes less, as altitude
entire Universe. The reason for increases. Mountaineers find it
its high concentration on the d ifficult to breathe and have to
Earth's atmosphere is the oxy­ slowly adjust to the decreasing
gen cycle in our planet. It is oxygen levels as they climb
driven by photosynthesis of higher. Astronauts carry their
oxygen when they travel to
outer space because there is no
oxygen there.
At the same time, too much
oxygen is also not good. Do
you know that h u mans cannot
survive if the oxygen level goes
beyond 25 per cent? The same
applies when the level goes
below1 7 per cent as well. Its
atomic n u m ber is eight, and
the symbol is 0.

Tell Me Why
What helps to prevent cavi­
ties i n your teeth?

Do you know what makes

toothpaste manufacturers con­
fidently declare that their prod­
uct can help you prevent
tooth-decay? There is an ingre­
dient in toothpaste that keeps
you r teeth strong. Fluorine is
the element that prevents den­
tal cavities. And fluorine is pre­
sent in toothpastes in the form with hydrogen in his lab. Many
of soluble fluoride. years later, Ferdinand Frederic
George Gore, an English Henri Moissan, a French chem­
chemist, is one among the ist, successfully isolated fluo­
many scientists, who tried to rine in 1 886. And his discovery
isolate fluorine. However, led him to win the Nobel Prize
Gore's experiment ended up i n in 1 906.
a n explosion when the fluorine It is very d ifficult to store fluo­
that he had produced reacted rine because of its corrosive
nature. Fluorine gas q u ickly
attacks most metals, and is
highly reactive. And for this
reason, fluorine is usually found
only in compounds. Due to its
exploding tendency, fluorine is
maintai ned in hydrofluoric
acid. Atomic n u m ber of the ele­
ment is 9, and the symbol is F.
 -v

Which element makes your 'new'. British chemists William

decorative bulbs glow red? Ramsay and Morris Travers dis­
covered neon i n 1 898. Neon is
You must have seen the the fourth-most abundant ele­
name boards and advertising ment in the Universe, but not
signboards on shops glowing on Earth.
in red and orange at night in Among elements, neon is a
cities. You must have observed recluse. Like a stubborn child, it
such l ig hts d u ring parties and refuses to form compounds
festivals too. What makes these with other elements, or react to
lights g low in such fashion is a any other substance. This is
gas cal led neon. one reason for its scarcity in the
Neon is widely used in orna­ air, because natural com­
menta l l i g hting beca use pounds of neon would have
when electrica l discharge prevented its escape from the
passes through the gas, it Earth's atmosphere.
prod uces a red g low. In 1 902, The amount of neon in the air
Georges Cla ude, a French is not so much. Since it is a rare
i nventor and e n g i neer, sta rt­ element, it is fairly costly too.
ed prod ucing neon l ig hts Producing l iquid neon is about
commercial ly. 55 times more expensive than
Neon has no colour or smell. producing liquid helium.
The element gets its name from Neon has an atomic number
the Greek word 'neos' mean ing of ten. Its atomic symbol is Ne.
Which sodium compound is
an indispensable part of our
daily food?

M any sod i u m compou nds

are common household items.
For example, most of us will
find our food tasteless without
a substance called sodi u m
chloride. Another sodi u m com­
pound called sodium bicarbo­
nate is an inevitable ingredient
for baking. The former is none into pieces. The element
other than table salt, and the appears si lvery-white in colour.
latter, baking soda. Sodium has been i n use for a
Sodium is the sixth most very long time, and its com­
abundant element in the pounds have had great histori­
Earth's crust, and is found in cal significance. The element
many minerals. It is hig hly reac­ has been used for treating
tive. It is a soft metal; you can patients, and as a form of cur­
easi ly cut it with a kitchen knife rency for thousands of years.
Salt, a sod i u m compound,
has been known to be part of
Mummy , human diet from prehistoric
I'm a sodium times. People in Ancient Egypt
fan .... knew the u se of a substance
called natron which they used
to mummify dead bodies.
Natron dried out the internal
organs, thus preserving it for a
long ti me. This substance is a
sod i u m compound found nat­
urally on Earth. Atomic number
of this element is 1 1 , and the
symbol is Na.
 The total magnesium
present on Earth is
enough to create a
planet of the size of
Mars!
Is magnesium found in cab­
bage?
of the Earth's total mass, and it
M agnesium is an important comes third, after sodium and
nutrient for humans. Our body chlorine, in its presence i n sea
absorbs magnesiu m through water.
leafy vegetables such as cab­ Magnesiu m is generally
bage and spinach. found i n compound forms. The
Not just in these vegetables, element mostly combines with
magnesium is found i n all oxygen and calcium. Magnesi­
green plants. It is present i n um has a silvery white colour.
their leaves where i t traps the After iron and a l uminium,
Sun's energy to prepare the this is the most sought after
plant's food. I n fact, magnesi­ metal in the world. It is used in
um is present in the cel l s of all alloys and materials that need
organisms! to be light-weight and strong.
The element is so essential The name of the metal
for humans that more than 300 derives from the name of a
kinds of body processes cannot region i n Greece cal led Magne­
take place without it. It is plen­ sia, where the compounds of
tiful on Earth too, as it is the 81h magnesium were found in
most abundant element. The plenty. lts atomic n umber is 1 2,
and the symbol is Mg.
Is the precious stone sap­
phire j ust aluminium?

N o. Sapphire is not made up

of only aluminium. However,
a l u m i n i u m is present in this
precious stone. The metal is
fou nd in many other precious
stones too, such as ruby, topaz,
turq uoise and jade. However, electricity; and therefore, it is
their a mazing colours are due ideal for power cables. Due to
to the presence of other ele­ its lightness, strength and pro­
ments. tective q ualities, aluminium is
Aluminium is an element a n easy choice for the manu­
commonly found across the facture of boats, car bodies,
globe. Although Man knew and aircraft parts.
about this element for centu­ Aluminium has some very
ries, only recently did he start u nique characteristics. It is mal­
using it extensively. Alu m i n i u m leable, mean ing it can be
is a well known conductor of shaped into thin sheets. You
may have seen thin foils of sil­
Sir, take this ver coloured paper for wrap­
precious Aluminium ping food items. Aluminium is
pot and give me used for packaging food and
some money. dri n ks. It is tough, yet light­
weight, and does not rust. Alu­
minium reflects heat and lig ht.
All these qualities make it an
extremely useful element.
Due to its utility, every year,
20 mill ion tonnes of aluminium
is produced from its ore world­
wide. Its atomic n umber is 1 3,
and the symbol is AI.
Are silicon compounds easily avail­
able in our surroundings?

Y ou may have made sand castles

on the seashore or a riverbank. If you
have, you have come in contact with
silicon already.
Silica, an oxide of silicon, is the
most common component of sand,
which is found everywhere. Since
sand and soil make up most of the
crust of the Earth, about 27 per cent
of it is silicon!
Silicon is widely used for various
industrial purposes. Do you use a
computer? Comp uter chips, transis­
tors, and other electronic circuits are
made of silicon. Besides computers,
silicon is used in cosmetic implants,
skin and hair gels, rubber hoses etc.
Most of the silicon on Earth is found
i n the form of silicon oxides such as
sand and quartz. Silicon is extracted
through a complex process. Howev­ Over the Moon
er, silicon is a prominent health haz­
In 1 969, Earth­
ard too. Inhalation of fine silica
bound astronauts
particles can cau se a lung condition
left behind on the
cal led 'si licosis'.
Moon a silicon disc
Asbestos, a compound of silica,
in a white pouch
was once a favourite substance for
with microscopic
making building. Now, we know that
messages from 73
it can lead to lung cancer; and there­
countries wishing
fore, people avoid it. Atomic number
goodwill and
of this element is 1 4, and the symbol
is Si.
Which is the element that Phosphorus was the thir­
glows in the dark? teenth element to be discov­
ered. N umber 13 being
P eople wal king by graveyards considered inauspicious, the
at night have often reported element is sometimes cal led
sighting strange lights there. the 'devil's element'. Its glow­
Many superstitions have origi­ ing nature also adds to it noto­
nated out of such phenomena riety.
in the past. Such visions would According to a study con­
certainly frighten people, if ducted in 201 3 in the journal,
they did not know what caused Proceedi ngs of the National
it. White phosphorus deposited Academy of Sciences, phos­
on the ground due to the phorus may have been brought
decomposition of bodies is to the Earth by meteorites. The
what causes this scary sight. study concluded that around
Phosphorus has many crysta l 3.5 billion years ago, the ele­
structu res. White and red ment was abundant on Earth.
phosphorus structures are the Phosphorus is never found
most common among them. on Earth as a free element,
Wh ite phosphorus has a spe­ because it is highly reactive. It
cial characteristic: it g lows i n is generally found i n minerals.
t h e dark. I t w i l l spontaneously Phosphorus has a n important
ignite producing a pecu l i a r role in the life of organisms as it
glow when i t comes i n contact is found in living cells, i nclud­
with a i r. And for this reason, it ing nervous tissues, and bones.
is used in fireworks and explo- Its atomic number is 1 5, and
the symbol is P.
 Why does the titan arum give off
a putrid smell?

T he titan arum is one of the larg­

est flowers on Earth. lt is 1 0 feet tal l
a n d beautiful, but you cannot g o
near i t without closing your nose,
as it emits an u nbearable stench of
Yellow Moon rotting fish! The reason for the
The presence smell is the presence of sulphur
of sulphur in a compounds i n the flower.
variety of states Sulphur was a known substance
and forms makes from a ncient times. However, it
Jupiter's moon was Antoine Lavoisier who proved
lo, yellow in to the scientific com m u nity i n
colour. 1 777 that sulphur was indeed a n
element. I t is a very fine, yellow
coloured powder, and it sti n ks
when burned i n air. The English
call this element brimstone.
Volcanic eruptions and emis­
sions through hot water vents i n
oceans are t h e m a i n sources for
the natural occurrence of sulphur
on Earth. Despite its unpleasant
smell, sulphur has a vital role in
preserving life on Earth. It is a part
of protei ns, and hence, essential to
all l iving beings. Our skin, hair, and
nails get strength from the sulphur
bond in the protein called keratin.
Penicillin, an a ntibiotic that kills
harmful bacteria, is a sulphur com­
pound. Atomic n u m ber of this ele­
Titan Arum ment is 1 6, and the symbol is S.

Tell Me Wh)
Why is chlorine added in used in the production of
d rinking water? some com monly used com­
modities such as paper, tex­
You may have heard peo­ tiles, paints and plastic, and
ple living in cities com plain especially PVC. Chlorine is
that their water tastes of also used i n the manufactu re
chlorine. Chlorine is used for of car i nteriors, as the pres­
sterilizing drinking water ence of the element can
and disinfecting swim mi ng make those materials, from
pools. However, too m uch of seat cushions to bumpers,
it in water can cause poison­ lighter.
ing. Man has been using chlo­
Chlorine is an element rine for thousands of years.
widely used for various pur­ Chlorine had been discov­
poses. If you have taken a ered in the 1 8th century; how­
prescription drug, driven a ever, it was not recognized as
car, or drunk tap water, you an element and named u ntil
a re very likely to have been 1 81 0 by Sir Humphry Davy.
exposed to chlorine. It is When chlorine combines
with other elements, it is
known as chloride. Then, it
Chlorine, becomes stable and its toxic­
are you a war
ity decreases. Sod i u m chlo­
hero?
ride, otherwise known as salt,
is a common household item.
Chlorine gas was used
against the British troops i n
1 91 5, during World W a r I. The
gas is dangerously toxic,
affecting l u ngs, and even
causing death. Its atomic
number is 17, and the sym­
bol is Cl.

23
What keeps some incandes­ the gas is pumped around such
cent lamps from burning out? documents, the element will
displace oxygen which is reac­
I ncandescent lamps were tive and help the pages and i n k
q u ite common before the o f the delicate document from
advent of fluorescent and LED degrading.
lights. It was a matter of won­ Argon is also used for the
der to see the filament of the manufacture of decorative light­
bulb keep burning for days and ings. ln the defence industry, the
weeks without dying out, or element is considered a bless­
blackening the glass. It is an ing, because it is used to cool the
element called argon that does heads of heat-seeking missiles.
the trick. Argon does not react Argon was discovered and
with the filament u sed in the named by Lord Rayleigh, a n
light bulbs, even at high tem­ English scientist, a n d S i r Wil­
peratures. And that helps the liam Ramsay, a Scottish chemist.
filament last longer, and keeps Argon has no known biological
the glass of the bulb from significance. Large amounts of
blackening. pure argon i n enclosed areas
The element is often used in will cause people to suffocate.
the process of preservation. Argon is the third most abun­
I mportant historical docu­ dant gas on Earth. Its atomic
ments can be protected from number is 1 8, and the symbol is
decay with the help of argon. If Ar.

24 Tell Me Why
What happens when and is the seventh most abundant
potassium comes in element in the h uman body by
contact with water? weight. Potassium is also used in the
production of soap, detergents, dyes,
W ater is usually used glass, g u npowder, batteries, and even
to put out fire, but if you gold. The element derives its name
drop a piece of potassi­ from the word potash.
um i nto water, you will Potassium is a very soft metal. You
see something incredi­ can easily slice it i nto pieces with a
ble!
The element explodes
with a purple flame the
moment it is exposed to
water. Because potassi­
um is a highly reactive
metal. It is very sensitive
to the oxygen in the air
too. Therefore, potassi­
um has to be stored i n
mineral o i l for safety.
And for the same reason,
the element is rarely
seen in its natural form.
However, people are knife. lt makes u p roughly 1 .5 per cent
familiar with potassiu m by mass of the Earth's crust, and is the
salts such as, saltpeter seventh most abundant material on
and potash and they Earth.
have been in use for cen­ Potassium was the first elemental
turies. metal to be produced through elec­
The fertilizer indu stry trolysis. Sir Humphry Davy is the sci­
makes great use of entist who isolated the element for
potassium, as it is a n the first time. Atomic n u m ber of
important n utrient for potassium is 1 9. Its atomic symbol is
organisms. It plays a vital K, which comes from its Latin name,
role i n the human body Kal i u m, which means potash.

ELEMENTS 25
Is calcium the most impor­ the heart. N inety-nine per cent
tant element in our body? of the calci u m in our body is
accommodated in our teeth
I magine humans and animals and bones. It is the most abun­
without bones and teeth! The dant metallic element in the
thing that makes us wal k, human body. And thus, calci­
stand, sit and do a nything with um assumes g reat importance
our body is this skeletal struc­ in our body.
ture. Calcium is the element The human race has used cal­
essentially necessary for the cium for thousands of years.
health of both our teeth and Cornish chemist Sir Humph ry
bones. Davy successfully isolated this
Calcium regu lates the elec­ silver-coloured metal for the
tricity that passes through the first time i n 1808. Calcium is
nervous system, and helps soft, and is always found com­
m uscle contractions in the bined with other elements i n
body. This element plays a vital nature. It is fou nd i n many rocks
role in causing contractions in such as limestone, chalk, and
marble. Calc i u m is also found
i n m i nerals such as gypsu m
a n d fluorite.
Calcium compounds are
used in the manufactu re of
cement, glass, lime, bricks, and
paint, and as a reduction agent
in the preparation of other
metals.
Its atomic n u m ber is 20, and
the sym bol is Ca.
How did scandium get its
na me?

S ometimes naming an ele­

ment is difficult and the d iscov­
erer would name it after the
place where it was d iscovered.
James Chadwick dis­
Our next element is an exam­
covered the neutron,
ple. The name scandium comes
and people started
from the Latin word 'Scandia',
calling him Jimmy
which stands for Scandinavia, a
Neutron!
region i n Northern Europe. The
element was named after its
first d iscovery in this region; It is a light metal. Scandium is
and not many places outside used in baseball bats because
the Scandinavian Pen i nsula the element i ncreases the bat's
have deposits of this element. striking power. It is also used in
Scandium is a fai rly rare ele­ the manufacture of bright
ment. It is the S01h most com­ lights. Stadiums, sporting
mon element in the Earth, and events, and movie production
is generally found i n small units make use of these lights.
amounts in minerals. The ele­ However, its cost is a discou r­
ment is very expensive due to aging factor and hence its pop­
its rarity. ularity has severely suffered.
It is Lars Fredrik N ilson, a
Swedish chemist, who discov­
ered scandium i n 1 879. Dmitri
Mendeleev, referred to as the
father of the periodic table, had
predicted the existence of the
element ten years before its
actual discovery. Atomic num­
ber of this element is 2 1 , and
the symbol is Sc.

27
Which element did nations
accumulate d u ring the Cold
War?

T he Cold War period was a

time when nations such as the
US and the USSR were scram­
bling for arms and weapons.
Both these nations were stock­ Titanium is stronger than steel,
piling an element called titani­ but m uch lig hter. So, it is wide­
um, because they found it ly used for making aircraft
extremely useful for military engines, ships, and artificial
and defence equipment. The joints. Using titanium plates for
strategic i m portance of the supporting fractured bones is
metal made it a much sought prevalent today.
after substance. It was named by Martin Hein­
The element is named after rich Klaproth, a German chem­
the 'Titans' of Greek mytholo­ ist, although the element was
gy. Titans, the mythical divine discovered by William Gregor,
sons of the sky god U ranus and a British mineralogist, in 1 79 1 .
the Earth goddess Gaia, were Titan i u m is present in many
strong and powerful rulers. minerals. It is generally found
i n rocks, and most bodies of
water. The most common com­
pound of titanium is titanium
dioxide. Titanium is found i n all
l iving beings too.
Titan i u m makes up less than
one percent of the Earth's crust.
It is also the ninth most abun­
dant metal on the Earth's crust.
Its atomic n u m ber is 22, and
the symbol is Ti.

Tell Me Why
What is the element that
ad ds strength to steel?

You may know that steel, an

alloy of iron and carbon, is syn­
onymous with strength. Can it
be stronger? Addi ng various
elements to steel will have var­
ying effects on the alloy. Vana­
dium, a silvery grey metal,
increases the hardness of steel.
Vanadium is not usually steel. Vanadi u m steel is usually
found as a free element in used in the manufacture of
nature. A wide variety of m iner­ materials that need to be
als in the Earth's crust contai n strong but light-weig ht, such
vanadium. Some minerals con­ as automobile parts.
taining vanadium are vana­ The element was first isolat­
dinite, carnotite, and ed by Sir Henry E. Roscoe, an
magnetite. The majority of English chemist, in 1867. How­
vanadium is procu red from ever, the element was g iven
magnetite. It is in South Africa, the name by N i ls Sefstrom, a
Russia, and China that most of Swedish chemist. Vanadium
the vanadiu m is mined. gets its name from the Scandi­
The majority of vanadi u m navian goddess of beauty,
used i n industry is as a n alloy­ 'Vanadis'. Its atomic n umber is
ing element to add stren gth to 23, and the symbol is V.

Paint from Egypt

The Ancient Egyptians created the first
artificial paints using minerals, such as
lapis lazuli, which was crushed to make
blue paint.

E LEMENTS
 How's my
Chromium prated
body!

Is chromium a new element to produce some highly sought

or was it known to the ancient after pigments of red and yel-
world? low.
The precious ruby stone gets
H ave you heard of the terra­ its natural red colour from
cotta army of the Qin dynasty? chromi u m . Chromium has a sil­
It is a large collection of terra­ very, shiny a ppearance, and is a
cotta scul ptures prepared to be favourite substance to coat
buried along with the Chinese cars, and other appliances to
emperor when he died in the protect them from corrosion
3'd century BC. He would be and to improve their looks.
protected by them in his after­ Chromium is generally found
life, they thought! i n its ores. It is rarely found i n its
Now, what should i nterest us pure form in nature. The most
are not the sculptures them­ common ore from which chro­
selves, but the presence of an mium is extracted is chromite.
element which the modern Some forms of chromium are
world came to know about only non-toxic. However, chromi u m
in the late 1 8th century, namely (VI) is carcinogenic. The discov­
chromium. The weapons of this erer of chromium is Nicolas L.
army were tipped with chromi­ Vauquelin, who achieved the
um oxide so that they stayed feat in 1 797.
without rusting for m illennia! Its atomic n umber is 24 and
Chromium was primarily used the atomic symbol is Cr.

30 Tell Me Why
 Why is manganese a u n ique element?

The name of the element manganese,

comes from the Latin word, 'magnes',
which means magnet. However, do not
thi n k that manganese is magnetic as its
name suggests. The name, in fact, derives
from its compounds, which are used in
the manufacture of g lass.
Manganese has been in use from
a ncient times. Researchers have found
pigments of manganese i n cave paintings
dating from the Stone Age. Many alloys of
manganese are i n use today, especially i n
the manufacture of steel a n d g lass.
The element is mostly found in the
Earth's crust. However, it is very hard to
discover it as a free element in nature, as
it is often found in m inerals that contain
iron. It is the 1 21h most abundant element
on earth's crust and most of the world's
manganese is found in South Africa
and Australia. Deposits of manganese
are also found on the ocean bed.
Call of Death Manganese i n it pure form is a
The early death of reactive element. It burns i n the
Mozart at the age of 35 presence of oxygen, and rusts
is believed to have when it comes in contact with
been caused by the water. It is silvery white in colour,
antimony compound and looks l i ke iron.
prescribed by his Manganese i s a n important nutri­
doctor to treat his ent for humans and a n i ma ls, as it
depression. helps metabolic functions. Its atomic
n umber is 25, and the symbol is Mn.

ELEMEN TS
 r we living on n enormou ships, and cast iron i n pipes, to
lump of iron? stainless steel in cutlery and
wrought i ron in gates, this ele­
Y es, we are l iving on a huge ment is the main ingredient
mass of i ron, the Earth! In fact, contained in most objects you
the centre of the Earth Is almost see and use every day.
all iron. The surface of the earth Iron is a heavy metal. At the
is also rich i n this element. Due same time, it is pliable too.
to its abundance, the metal is Grayish in appearance, it is the
used widely for a host of util i­ most used of all elements,
ties. From steel i n the h ulls of because it is extremely hard
and strong.
It is one of the most useful
elements in our body. Iron is
necessary throughout our
body, and is especially essen­
tial to our blood. Through
blood vessels, i ron atoms carry
oxygen from lungs to our heart
E and brain. They also take car­
Humans have found a bon dioxide back to our l ungs
use for most elements, to be blown out. Iron is stored
except one: lutetium. Do in our blood cells, l iver and oth­
you now w y1l 1etlum er ttssues. Its atomic number is
is the most expensive 26, and the symbol is Fe.
metal in the world!

Tell Me Why
Is cobalt magnetic?
of cobalt, especially cobalt
A magnet attracts or repels blue, have been used by paint­
other metals. Cobalt is magnet­ ers for thousands of years.
ic; in fact, it is one of a handful Researchers say that the use of
of elements which are naturally cobalt as a colouring agent
magnetic. Cobalt maintains its dates back to as far back as the
magnetism, even at high tem­ Bronze Age.
peratures. The ancient Egyptians made
Cobalt resem bles i ron and use of this element in their a rt
nickel. In its pure form, it has a and jewellery. The d iscovery of
silvery blue colour. It is a brittle the metal in the ruins of Pom­
metal. It is generally found on peii, an ancient city of Rome,
Earth in its chemically com­ has great archaeological signif­
bined forms. icance too. Cobalt is a lso used
Georg Bra ndt, a Swedish in the medical field. A man­
che mist is recognized for iso­ made isotope of the element,
lat i ng cobalt in 1 735. However, Cobalt-60 is commonly used in
even before its formal discov­ cancer treatments.
ery, the metal has been in use Its atomic n u m ber is 27, and
th roughout history. Pigments the symbol is Co.

ELE MENTS 33
Which is the fifth most abun­
dant element on Earth?

N ickel is a metal which has

been in use for thousands of
years. Its use by h u mans dates
back to at least 3500 BC. How­
ever, the element was discov­
ered q u ite recently. Axel Fredrik
Cronstedt, a Swedish mineralo­
gist, was trying to extract cop­
per from minerals i n 1 75 1 ; but
succeeded in d iscovering
another metal, which he
named nickel.
Nickel is the sixth most abun­
dant element on Earth. Howev­ ture of n ickel steel and alloys.
er, its presence i n the Earth's N ickel steel, such as stai nless
crust is very m i n i mal. The ele­ steel, is an extremely strong
ment is 1 00 per cent more con­ material. The element is useful
centrated below the Earth's for a host of other products
surface than in the crust. such as batteries, coins, guitar
Under standard conditions, strings, and armour plates.
nickel is found to be silvery N ickel is generally identified
white i n colour and is fairly in meteorites where it is usually
hard. This element is magnetic found combined with i ron.
at room temperature l i ke th ree There is a large n ickel deposit
other metals, such as iron, located i n Canada, and scien­
cobalt, and gadol i n i u m. How­ tists think it is from a meteorite
ever, nickel loses its magnetism that smashed into the Earth
above 255 degrees Celsius. thousands of years ago. Atomic
Most of the metal obtained n umber of this element is 28,
today is used in the manufac- and the symbol is N i .
I n ancient times, the metal copper
was found in abundance on
Cypress, an Island country in the
Mediterranean.
The country was a major exporter
of the metal to the other parts of
the world. It is from Cypress that
copper gets its name.
Copper was the first metal that
man attempted to shape a nd
mould. One of the g reatest discov­
enes of the a ncient man was the
knowledge that a harder a lloy met­
al, bronze, could be produced by · STAR FACT
adding tin to copper. This d iscovery
led the human race to the Bronze �-
Age. �--
Besides gold, copper is the only ,•

metal in the periodic table whose

colouring is not naturally silver or IC
grey. Shiny and reddish, copper The first nickel coin
was the first metal that man learned was the American
to manipulate, and it remains one one-cent piece
of the most important metals in the 'flying eagle', piece,
world today. with 12 per cent
Copper is one of the few metals nickel and the rest,
that occu r in nature in their directly copper. The coin, the
useable form. A key metal i n indus­ first to be named a
try, copper is used for electrical wir­ 'nickel', was in circu­
ing, plumbing and roofing. lation for only two
The atomic n u m ber of copper is years, between 1857
29, and the atomic symbol is Cu. and 1858.

M
 Which element when alloyed witti
Zinc is
copper is called brass?
the secret of
my energy.
Z inc, l i ke copper, is a metal whid)
was in use from ancient times. This
bluish-silver coloured metal is crucial
to life today as it is i m portant i n many
industrial processes that often go
unseen . Zinc is mostly used as an
anti-corrosion agent.
The element was probably named
by the 1 6th century Swiss physician
and alchemist Paracelsus. Zinc is used
in the production of brass alloying
with copper. There are many other
alloys of the metal too. Zinc has non­
corrosive properties; and therefore, it
is used in plating iron.
After copper, i ron and al u m i n ium,
zinc is the most required metal in
i ndustry. It is zinc that is used i n lithi­
um batteries as anode. It is used in
paints, fire safety equipment, wood
preservatives, clocks, farming etc.
Zinc in India The element, in its pure form, was
Zinc was in use in discovered by Andreas Sigismund
India thousands of Marggraf, a German chemist, i n 1746.
years before its use Zinc is the 25th most abu ndant ele­
in China. While the ment i n the earth's crust.
Chinese started its The element burns with a bl ue­
use only in 1 637, the green flare. Thirty per cent of the pro­
metal was mined and duction of zinc is done through
smelted in the Indian recycling and the rest by mining. It
subcontinent in the has an atomic number of 30, and the
gth century BC. symbol is Zn.

36 Tell M �'> Wh
Why is gallium a n important
metal?

G a l l i u m is an i nteresting met­
al because it is hard and brittle You may have wondered
in a cool atmosphere, soft in how LED lights emit such glow.
standard temperature and liq­ Gal l i u m is used in the Light
uid i n warm conditions. This Emitting Diodes (LED). It is also
metal is never fou nd in its free used in electronic circuits and
form in nature. as semiconductors.
Dmitri Mendeleev, whom we The element has use in high­
have seen before as an i l l u stri­ temperature thermometers,
ous scientist and the father of barometers, pharmaceuticals
the periodic table, had predict­ etc. However, the element has
ed the existence of gallium no known biological val ue.
before its discovery. He had Gall i u m makes up about
named the m issing element as 0.001 9 per cent of the earth's
'Eka-Aiuminium'. crust by weight. The largest
The element was first discov­ producers of gallium are Aus­
e red in 1 875 by Paul Emile tral ia, Russia, Fra nce and Ger­
Lecoq de Boisbaudran, a. many. It has an atomic number
Fre nch chemist. of 3 1 , and the symbol is Ga.

LEM ENTS 37
How does germanium get its
name?

B ased on his periodic table,

Dmitri Mendeleev, in 1869, had
concluded that an element
such as germanium really exist­
ed. It was, however, Clemens
Winkler, a German chemist,
who first isolated the element,
and proved its existence in
1886. Winkler named the ele­
ment in honour of his home­ mostly used in optical systems.
land Germany, and called it Applications such as cameras,
germa n i u m . fibre optics, and microscopes
Germanium is a fairly rare ele­ need this element in their pro­
ment, and is fou nd in the d uction. The element is also
earth's crust. It is shiny and sil­ u sed i n i nfrared optics. It is one
very i n its appearance. It is very of the few elements that
hard and brittle. Although expand and turn solid when
there are some m inerals that they are frozen . The atomic
contain a fair amount of ger­ n u m ber of germanium is 32,
manium l i ke germanite and and the symbol is Ge.
argyrodite, they are too rare to
be mined.
The element is not a n utrient
for organisms in nature. There­
fore, its presence i n the earth
has no significance to plants
and animals. However, some­
times germanium is used i n
medicines.
German i u m is a n important
component in semiconductors
and fibre optics. German i u m is

38
Why is arsenic a notorious ele­
ment?

D o you know that arsenic is called

the 'king of poisons' and the 'poison
of kings'? It is a very toxic element.
From the time of the Roman Empire,
all the way to the Victorian era in the
1 91h century, the element had been
used for murder and suicide especial­
ly among the a ristocrats. History is
full of stories of both royalty and com­
moners carrying out assassination
attempts for personal gain using the
odourless and tasteless compou nds
of arsenic. These qualities make it a
perfect poison, which can kill a nyone
quickly if taken too much.
However, despite its reputation as a
lethal substance, arsenic stil l holds a
very important place i n the natural
world. The element has been used in
the medical field for centuries.
Arsenic is combined with gallium to
produce gallium arsenide for use in
high speed electronics and optoelec­
tronics. Other applications for arsenic
in clude metal alloys and g lass mak­
in g.
Germanium has been
Arsenic has many allotropes. Allo­
tropes are different structures of the found in the
atmosphere of Jupiter
same element. Arsenic was first iso­
and in distant stars.
lated by Albertus Magnus in 1 250.
Th e atomic number of the element is
3 3, and the atomic sym bol is As.
 he iscr vere
Selenium was discovered in 1 8 1 7 by the
Swedish chemist Jons Jacob Berzelius.

essential for al in silver colour and powde

humans? form in red colour. The element
is a good conductor of electric­
I t is u n l i kely that you have ity. Therefore, it is used i n pho­
heard about an element called toelectric cells, photocopiers,
selenium. However, it is essen­ solar cells, and semiconduc­
tial for the h u man body. tors.
The element has the ability While Germany is the country
to block the effects of toxic that produces selenium the
metals such as arsenic, thalli­ most each year, China is the
um, and the mercury found in biggest consumer of the ele­
fish. It is also a m icronutrient i n ment for industrial purposes.
animals. The atomic n umber of seleni
It also plays an i mportant role urn is 34, and the atomic sym­
in the production of several bol is Se.
vital enzymes in humans. For
healthy joints, heart and eyes,
humans need selenium.
While it is essential in our
body, too much selenium
in the diet can be toxic as
well.
Seleniu m is not a met­
al, although it may look
like one. It is solid in
room temperature. Pri­
marily, the element exists
i n two forms: as solid materi-
 brines, which is a high concen­
tration solution of salt in water.
Which is the element that Bromine is used in the produc­
burns your skin ? tion of fuels, i n secticides, fire
extinguishers and pharmaceu­
B romine is a slightly toxic ele­ ticals.
ment and in its l iq u id form can The m ineral deposits of bro­
burn your skin. mine in the US are found in the
T h i s e l ement is a deep red, natural brine wells of Michigan
o i ly l i q u i d at room te m pe ra­ and Arkansas. Israel, Russia,
tu re. However, it can q u ickly France and Japan a re also
eva porate i nto a g a s with countries that produce bro­
the same c o l o u r. Brom i ne mine industrially. Worldwide,
has a stro n g a n d u n p l e a s a n t the production of bromine is
s m e l l t o o . T h i s e l e m ent i s estimated to be around 330,000
t h e o n ly n o n - m etal to exi st tonnes per year.
in l i q u i d form at room tem­ Bromine is a harmful element
peratu re. to the atmosphere when
Bromide salts were once a exposed in the open. It actively
favoured material as flame contributes to the depletion of
retardants and sedatives. How­ the ozone layer, and lets in the
ever, the toxicity of the com­ hazardous rays of the sun.
poun d has discouraged people It is the 59th most common
fro m using it. element in the earth's crust.
Th e element is extracted Bromi ne has the atomic num­
fro m sea water and natural ber 35, and is represented as Br.
Is krypton the planet of Superma n ?

A nyone who reads comics must

have heard of Superman, and the
planet he hails from. Superman
comes from a fictional planet
called Krypton and an imaginary
element called kryptonite is his
celebrated weakness. Now, our
element krypton has nothing to
do with either of them. It is one of
the rarest gases on Earth.
Sir William Ramsay, a Scottish chem­
ist, and his student Morris Travers, an
English scientist, discovered krypton
in 1 898. The element has neither col­
our nor smell. It does not react with
any element other than fluorine gas.
A type of krypton has a line in its
atomic spectrum, and it was used as
the standard measure of length
from 1 960. One metre was defined
as exactly 1 ,650,763.73 wave­
lengths of this line. This continued
to be the standard of measurement
for 23 years. But, now the definition
has changed. Non-toxic Killer
Since the element is rare, and Krypton is believed
expensive, its utility is very limited. to be a non-toxic
The gas is often used in i ncandes­ asphyxia-inducing
cent lamps. It extends the life of the agent because it dis­
tungsten filament that glows in the places breathable
bulb when the gas is i njected into the air.
lamps. The atomic number of kryp­
ton is 36, and the symbol is Kr.

42 Tell Me Why f
 What a re the features of 1 86 1 . Most often, the ele­
the element rubidium? ment is extracted as a
byproduct during the pro­
Ru bi d i u m i s a meta l duction of potassium or cae­
which i s the 23'ct most sium.
a b u nd a n t element found About 0.36 grams of rubid­
i n the crust of the earth. It i u m can be found in the
i s s i lvery-white i n colour,
a n d very soft. The element
i s h i g h ly reactive and reacts
q u ickly with a i r. In nature,
� Alk•li m•mt -3� ..
,. RlJBIOIUM
there a re severa l m i nera l s
w h i c h conta i n u p to one

� Rb
per cent of the oxide of
I
rubid i u m .
Although rubidium i s not a /
rare metal, it does not have a I
lot of industrial or commer­ 8 5 . 468
cial u ses. Therefore mining
of rubidi u m is fairly limited.
It is used mainly for power­
ing atomic clocks in g lobal body of an average-sized
navigation satellite systems. h uman. The human body
Sometimes, rubidi u m is also treats rubidi u m as though it
used i n the production of were potassium, so it is most
purple colour in fireworks. often found within the cel­
However, it is mostly used lular fluid. Rubidium does
for research. not serve a vital purpose i n
Rubidium was discovered animals and plants.
by the German chemists The atomic number of
Gustav Robert Kirchhoff and rubidi u m is 37, and the sym­
Robert Wilhelm Bunsen in bol is Rb.

ELEMENTS 43
How did strontium get its name?

S trontian is the name of a village

in Scotland. The mineral containing
strontiu m was first d iscovered in
this vil lage, and the element is
named after the vil lage.
Strontiu m is a soft, silver-col­
oured metal. The element has sev­
eral uses. Stronti u m blocks X-rays
emitted by TV pictu re tubes. The
element is used in paints that glow
in the dark. In fireworks, certain bril­
liant red h ues are produced with
the help of strontium. It also plays
an i m portant role i n tracing the ori­
gins of species.
Many scientists have richly con­
tributed to the discovery of stron­
tium. However, it was Humphry Davy
who isolated the element for the first
time. He achieved the feat in 1 808 by
means of electrolysis.
Stronti u m is the 1 6th most abun­
dant element i n the earth's crust. It is
said that German sugar industry used
up to 1 50,000 tonnes of strontiu m
per year leadi ng u p t o World War I.
Today China is the leading producer
of strontiu m while other countries
like Spain, Argentina and Mexico pre­
sent a stiff competition to the topper.
Flame test
Strontiu m has the atomic n umber 38, for Strontium
and it is represented as Sr.
Yttrium and Zirconium spe­
cial?

I n 1 789, a Swedish chemist

called Carl Axel Arrhenius made
a curious d iscovery in a quarry
of a village called Ytterby. lt was
a piece of odd-looking black
rock. The rock piece contained found in nature in its metallic
fou r elements and one of them form d ue to the way the ele­
was yttrium, named after the ment reacts with water. Moon
village. The village became the rock samples retrieved by
namesake of the other ele­ NASA's Apollo missions found
ments found in the rock as well, the presence of zirconi u m i n
such as, erbium, terbium and l u nar rock.
ytterbium. Zirconium has the atomic
Yttriu m is a soft metal. Yttri­ n umber 40, and it is represent­
um in its pure form is stable in ed as Zr.
the air when it is a large piece.
Whenever yttriu m is sliced i nto
little shavings or sma l l particles,
it starts to become reactive and
thus u nstable. About 31 parts­
per-million of the earth's crust
is yttri u m, and that makes it the
301h most common element.
The atomic n umber of Yttri u m Sweet Element
is 39, and i t is represented as Y. Strontium is used in the
The element zirconium is production of sugar from
greyish white i n colour. In pow­ sugar beet. Most of the
der form, zirconium is highly strontium used in the pro­
flammable. It is not genera l ly cess of making sugar is
recyclable.

E L E M ENTS
How was n i obium discovered?

N iobiu m has an i nteresting account of d is­

covery. John Winthrop, an American, located
a piece of mineral called columbite in Mas­
sachusetts in 1 734, and sent it to England
for exam ination. The mineral was ana­
lyzed in 1 801 by Charles Hatchett, a n
English chemist. H e discovered a new
element in the mineral and named it
columbi u m after Columbia, a histori­
cal, poetic name that refers to the
United States of America.
William Hyde Wollaston, an English chemist,
compared col u m bite with another mineral, tan­
talite, and declared that columbium was in fact
the element called tantalum. I n 1 844, Heinrich
Rose, a German chemist, working with samples
of col u mbite and tantalite, produced two new
separate, but very similar, acids, which he named
niobic acid and pelopic acid. Later, he recog­
nized niobi u m as a distinct element.
The element is named after N iobe, the
daughter of king Tantalus of Greek
Mythology. It is shiny-white in colour,
and is a soft element. N iobium alloys
are used in the production of highly­
specialised steel that is used in the Chang'ng et
manufacture of stronger gas pipe­ Of the 32 known
lines. Niobi u m alloys are also used i n radioactive isotopes of
rocket and jet engines d u e t o their niobium, the most
superior strength at extremely high stable one is reduced
temperatures. to half its initial
It has the atomic n umber 41 , and it value in 34.7
is represented as Nb. million years.

46
What are the characteristics production of many alloys due
of molybdenum? to its ability to withstand
extreme temperatures. There­
M olybdenum disulphide, fore, it is used i n the manufac­
also known as molybdenite is a ture of military armour, aircraft
black, soft m ineral which was parts, electrical contacts, i ndus­
often m i staken for graphite or trial motors, and filaments.
lead ore until 1 778. Carl Scheele, The element is recovered as a
a German chemist, analyzed by-product of copper or tung­
the mineral and revealed that it sten m i n i ng. Molybdenum is
was neither of these substanc­ not a naturally occurri ng ele­
es, and was in fact, a totally new ment; however, it is found i n its
element. different states withi n other
Molybdenum plays an impor­ minerals.
tant role in living organisms. Molybdenum is the 541h most
The element is vital for the commonly occurring element
enzymes in bacteria to under­ i n the earth's oceans. Russia's
go nitrogen fixation. Luna 24 space mission discov­
There are approximately fifty ered samples of molybdenum
m o l y b d e n u m - c o n t a i n i n g on the moon too.
enzymes, which are found in The atomic number of Molyb­
both bacteria and animals. denum is 42, and the atomic
Molybdenum is used in the symbol is Mo.
Which is the first
element pro­
d uced a rtificial­ results of their experi­
ly? ment in which they
isolated technetium
D mitri Mende­ from a sample of
leev had predicted in 1 87 1 that molybdenum.
an unnamed element with an Technetium was the first ele­
atomic n u m ber 43 would pos­ ment to be produced artificial­
sibly be present in the universe. ly. All the original technetium
He thought it would have prop­ present when Earth was
erties very close to manganese, formed, has long since decayed.
and even named it eka-manga­ Almost the entire element
nese. Nearly seventy years later that is produced today, i s pro­
the element technetium with duced artificially. It is so rare an
the atomic number 43, was dis­ element that only around
covered i n a laboratory. 1 8000 tonnes of it could be
Many scientists had pub­ found in the earth's crust.
lished reports that they had Today, technetium is used i n
discovered Mendeleev's pre­ rad ioactive isotope medical
dicted element 43 in 1 846, tests. Highly radioactive, it is
1 847, 1 877, 1 896, 1 908, and also used i n a host of diagnos­
1 925. None of these turned out tic tests. It has several other
to be technetium, as they all industrial and chemical uses
were other elements. too.
In 1 93 7, Emilio Segre and The atomic symbol of Tech­
Carlo Perrier published the netium is Tc.

Tell Me Why
 from Russia. And that is the connec­
tion between Russia and ruthenium.
Although many scientists claimed
that they had discovered the element
Do ruthenium and Rus­ i n the first half of the 1 gth century, it
sia have anything in was Karl Ernst Klaus, a Russian chem­
common? ist, who successfully isolated the ele­
ment i n 1 844.
The first impure form The Native Americans knew the use
of ruthenium was dis­ of the metal many years before its dis­
covered in Russia. I n the covery. Ruthenium is the seventy­
Latin language, Russia is third most common metal on Earth. It
known as Ruthenia. is an extremely rare metal in nature.
Therefore, the element Due to its scarcity, only around twen­
ruthenium gets its name ty tonnes of ruthenium is produced
a nnua lly.
Pentlandite is the mineral from
which most of the ruthen i u m is
m ined. Adding ruthenium is one of
the most effective ways to harden
platin u m and palladium. Ruthenium
can also be extracted from nuclear
waste such as uranium-235.
Ruthenium is used most commonly
for creating a coating over electrical
contacts for wear-resistance. Ruthe­
Karl Ernst Klaus n i u m's atomic number is 44, and it is
represented as Ru.

E LEMENTS
I s there a n element more val­ per mil lion (ppm) in the earth's
uable than gold? crust.
Rhodium does not play any
W hen asked to name some sign ificant role in life process­
expensive elements in the es, and has no known biologi­
world, many would readily cal u se.
name gold and silver. However, While some compou nds of
there are many other precious rhod i u m are believed to be car­
cinogenic, there are almost no
reported cases of humans
being affected by this element
i n any way. This may be due to
the fact that we rarely come in
contact with rhodi u m com­
pounds in everyday life.
The atomic number of rhodi­
um is 45 and it is represented
as Rh.

elements i n the world. Rhodi­

um is one among them. It is a
silver-white element. It is cost­
lier than gold or silver.
Rhod i u m was d iscovered in
1 803 by William Hyde Wollas­
ton, an English chemist. He had
just discovered the element Unsafe
palladi u m in the previous year. Palladium is relatively
Rhod i u m derives its name from biologically inactive, but
the Greek word 'rhodon,' can cause allergic reac­
meaning rose, named for the tions in some people. If
rose-red colour of its salts. It is you have a nickel allergy,
one of the rarest elements, you're at a higher risk of
ranging up to only .00002 parts irritation from palladium.

50
 Palladium is a crucial compo­
nent of fuel cells and catalytic
converters. It is a very rare ele­
ment, rarer than gold or plati­
num. The element is malleable
and doesn't tarnish in air, as it
does not react with oxygen.
These q ualities make it a popu­
lar metal for jewellery. Hydro­
gen gas can filter through it, so
How does white gold get its palladium is used to remove
white colour? hydrocarbons from fuels.
Palladiu m was discovered in
H ave you seen a ny ornament 1 803. The metal was first isolat­
made of white gold? White ed by William Hyde Wollaston,
gold jewel lery is supposed to an English chemist. Palladium
be more expensive than regu­ gets its name from the asteroid
lar gold ornaments because of 2 Pallas, the second-largest
the presence of an expensive asteroid in the asteroid belt,
element called palladium. which had just been discov­
Shiny and silvery, the element ered in 1 802. The asteroid itself
palladi u m is what gives white was named after the a ncient
gold its colour. Greek goddess Pallas Athena.
Can you Palladiu m is found only in
make this rare m inerals. The only palladi­
ld white? u m mine i n the United States is
the Stillwater Mine i n Monta na;
other mines are in Canada,
South Africa and Russia. Russia
is the world's largest palladium
producer.
The atomic number of palla­
dium is 46, and its atomic sym­
bol is Pd.
What m a kes silver special?

s ilver, like gold, is a popular

metal for making ornaments. It
is a beautifully shiny metal, but
it has often had to play second
fiddle to gold.
Silver was known to prehis­
toric h u mans. People of ancient
civilizations as early as 3000 BC,
knew h ow to separate silver
from lead. In the past, silver
was extracted from other min­
erals through an i nteresting other metals, leaving small
method. round drops of liquid silver.
The metal was placed in a Silver has been the most
shallow cup cal led a cupel and favourite metal for making
heated under a strong g ust of coins and jewellery from the
air. This process removed the beginning of civilizations. It is
u sed i n the production of
adornments, mirrors and pho­
to-optics, m usical instruments,
dentistry and medications,
photography, and many more.
N owadays the element has
been used in wound-dressings
as it has the ability to destroy
The murderer's poison in many bacteria and viruses.
the novel The Pale Horse Silver is general ly fou nd in
by the mystery writer copper or lead ores and the ele­
Agatha Christie, who was ment is extracted from these
once a pharmacist, was minerals. Since the 1 500s, several
thallium. The first clue of countries have been mining silver.
its toxicity was the hair Mexico is the world leader in silver
loss in the victims. mining and is followed by Peru.
 Silver is sensitive to lig ht, so Cadmium is natura l ly resist­
silver compounds are coated ant to corrosion; and therefore,
onto the film of x-rays and pho­ it is often used as a protective
tographic prints to make the coating on metals. Cad m i u m
images. Silver has the atomic electroplating is especially
number of 47, and it is repre­ common for aircraft. The ele­
sented as Ag which stands for ment plays a key role in the pro­
'Argentu m ' which is the Latin duction of rechargeable
word for the metal. batteries, specifically n ickel-

What a re t h e characteristics
of cad m ium?

C admium is a soft metal, blu­

ish silvery-white in colour. I n
1 8 1 7, Friedrich Stromeyer, a
German chemist, discovered
cad m i u m after isolating it from
zinc carbonate. Another Ger­ cadmium batteries. It also plays
man, Karl Samuel Leberecht a significant role in nuclear
Herman n, had also discovered energy, as cadm i u m serves as
the element in the same year. both a barrier and as a n al loy
The name comes from the Lat­ for pressurized water reactors.
in word 'cadmia', the name for The atomic n umber of cadmi­
the calamine ore. um is 48, and its atomic symbol
In b u l k, cadmi u m is non­ is Cd.
flammable, but will burn and
release poisonous fumes when
in a powder form. Earlier, cad­
mium was used in the manu­
facture of paints and screws
but now it is not used for those
purposes as the element is
found to be toxic.

ELEME NTS
How did indium get its name?

T he name of the element indium

comes from the bright indigo col­
oured line in its spectrum.
Have you heard of metals that
let out loud cries? They certai n ly
do not cry as humans or animals
do. One of indium's most unusu­
al properties is that it has this 'ti n
cry' or a squeaking sound, that
resembles a scream when it's
bent.
Indium was first isolated in 1 863 by
German chemists Ferdinand Reich
and Hieronymous Theodor Richter. I n
the earth's crust, i t is the 681h most
common element. Indium is relatively
rare in the earth, and is typically found
i n zinc ores. It's also found in some CURIOUS
lead, copper and iron ores.
Indium is indispensable in the man­
ufacture of LCD monitors, televisions
/� !··
r� F CT ,_
I · �
arid display screens; and therefore, its /.
demand has i ncreased greatly over 4;:.-:�
the years. Due to this demand, the ntastic our
price of indium per kilogram me also Hydrogen, carbon,
has i ncreased almost tenfold since nitrogen and oxygen
2002. make up more than 95
About 4 m i l l ion troy ounces of per cent by weight
indium is produced annually across of all living things
the g lobe today. Canada, China and on Earth.
Russia are the major producers of the
element. The atomic number of indi­
um is 49, and the atomic symbol is ln.

Tell Me Why
Is tin one of the oldest metals pewter, metals for bells, and
known to man? Babbitt metal in bearings.
Tin is a lso used in art and dec­
T i n is perhaps one of the old­ orations. The element is also
est metals known to Man. Tin important in Li-ion batteries
was fam iliar to Man in ancient and PVC plastics.
times as he learned to add it to Tin is represented as Sn,
copper to make bronze, thus which comes from the Latin
setting off the Bronze Age. word stannum. Sta n n u m was
Tin is an element perhaps known to be an alloy of lead
best known for its use in tin and silver. The atomic n u m ber
cans. However, these days, of tin is 50.
such cans are almost always
made of aluminium. Even the
original tin cans, first intro­
duced in the 1 800s, were most­
ly steel, but plated with tin!
Tin i s the 49th most common
element i n the earth's crust.
Today, tin is used as a coating
for steel to make tinplate. Tin is
added to lead for soldering
metals also. Tin added to silver
and copper is u sed for dental
amalgams. It is a component of

E LEMENTS
Was a ntimony known to
man i n the M iddle Ages?
important component i n the
T he ancient world was production of batteries, bear­
familiar with the element ings, and cable sheathing. The
antimony. An u n known pure form of antimony is used
alchemist had identified the to make certain types of semi­
element in the Middle Ages. conductor devices, such as
Antimony is named after the d iodes and i nfrared detectors.
Greek word 'stibium', which China is the top global produc-
was the name of its com­
pound known in the a ncient
times. Some say that anti­
mony literally means 'monk­
killer' as most early chemists
were monks and the ele­
ment was a notorious toxin
that killed many who experi­
mented with it.
Antimony is a silvery, lus­
trous grey metal. It is a rare
element, but can sometimes
be found naturally. When er of antimony, extracting
the element is crushed i nto between 84 per cent and 88
powder, a ntimony expands per cent of the supply. The
as it becomes a brittle, sil­ atomic n umber of antimony
very and hard solid. Do you is 51 and it is represented as
know that a compound of Sb.
a ntimony was used i n
a ncient Egypt as a form of Who discovered tellurium?
eyeliner known as kohl?
Antimony is used i n the f ranz Joseph M u l ler von
printing industry for type Reichenstei n, an Austrian
setting. The element is an mineralogist, discovered tel-

Tell Me Why
 the element is its volatile nature
as it tends to escape to space as
gas.
Tellurium is sometimes found
i n its natura l form, but it is more
often found combined with
gold, or other metals in m i neral
forms.
Tell u rium is added to copper
and stainless steel to harden
them, and improve their ability
to be used in various machines.
The element is also added to
lead to make it harder, and
luri u m i n 1 782. However, it was more acid-resistant for u se in
Martin Heinrich Klaproth, a batteries. The US Department
German chemist, who named it of Energy has estimated that
tell urium. The element was the demand for tell urium will
named after 'tellus' which in cau se a deficiency by 2025.
Lati n meant earth. Compounds of tellurium are
Tellurium is one of the rarest toxic, and eating them causes
elements on Earth. Its presence very u n pleasant body odours
in nature is only as much as and bad breath.
platinum. However, the ele­ The atomic number of tellu­
ment is abundant i n space. One riu m is 52, and the symbol is Te.
of the reasons for the rarity of

Too Much is oo Little

Only one pound of tellurium is usually
produced from the refining of 550
tonnes of copper!
Does iodine play a significant
role in the human body?

I odine is a critical nutrient i n

human body; a n d therefore, i t
i s an essential element for life
itself.
Iodine is best known for the
vital role it plays i n thyroid hor­
mone production i n humans.
Its deficiency can lead to seri­
ous health problems, such as
intellectual disabil ity, cretin­
ism, which is a condition of
severe stunting of physical and
mental growth, and goitre,
which is the abnormal enlarge­
ment of the thyroid gland.
Barnard Cou rtois, a French
c h e m i st, d i scovered iod i ne i n Iodine has several commer­
1 8 1 1 . He na med i t iod i n e cial applications and can be
from the G reek word 'iode' found in a variety of pharma­
which means violet. I n va pour ceuticals, d isinfectants, i n ks
form, the element i s violet in and dyes, catalysts, photogra­
colour. phy chemicals and animal feed
I n solid form, the element is supplements. However, it plays
blue-black i n colour. Iodine is an important role in the pro­
fairly rare i n both the earth's d uction of medicines. Most
crust and in the solar system. It iodine production in the world
is the 63'd most common ele­ comes either from the Chilean
ment in the earth's crust. Iod ine caliche, a mineral, or from the
is soluble i n water; and there­ oil field brines in the US.
fore, it is found more abun­ The atomic number of Iodine
dantly i n oceans. is 53, and the symbol is I.
What a re the specialities of
xeno n ?

X enon is a trace element i n

the earth's atmosphere. A trace
element is an element whose
presence in the atmosphere is
neg l i g i ble. Xenon is a very rare
gas on our planet. exceptionally high in other
Xenon was discovered i n planets, especially Jupiter.
1 898 by William Ramsay, a Jupiter has al most three times
Scottish chemist, and Morris more of xenon than the Sun.
Travers, an English scientist, The element is found i n Mars'
who had d iscovered krypton atmosphere at about 0.08 parts
and neon in the previous years. per million.
All three elements were isolat­ Xenon emits a blue glow
ed in similar fashion. The scien­ when charged by electricity.
tists extracted them by Therefore, the element is used
evaporating liquid air, and for very powerful flash lighting,
studying what remained i n it. lights simulating sunbeams,
Although the gas is not very fog l ights, road signs, and
abundant in the earth's atmos­ germ-killing food lamps. Xenon
phere, the a mount of xenon is is vital to space veh icles as the
element is used to power their
engines.
Although xenon is not toxic
on its own, its compounds can
be highly toxic. The atomic
number of xenon is 54 and it is
represented as Xe.
 An Atomic Clock

What keeps atomic clocks so temperature.

accurate? Caesium will melt in your
hands! However, be very cau­
A n atomic clock is supposed tious! The element m ight
to be one of the most accurate explode in the air, as it is highly
time-keeping devices in reactive to moisture. Since cae­
human h istory. Caesi u m is sium reacts violently with
what powers an atomic clock water, it is treated as a hazard­
as its atoms keep it exact. The ous material, and is often kept
atomic clock is the device under a layer of kerosene or
used as the standard measure mineral oil, or in a vacuum. This
of time. A second in the atom­ prevents the metal from react­
ic clock is defined as the ing and igniting i n the a i r.
amount of time taken by the Caesium was the first ele­
caesium atom to vibrate ment to be discovered with a
91 9,26,3 1 ,770times between spectroscope. It was d iscov­
energy levels! ered in 1 860 by German chem­
Caesium is a rare element. ists Robert Bunsen and Gustav
It is a silver-white, shiny met­ Kirchhoff when they were ana­
al with bril liant blue spectral lysing the spectrum of m i neral
lines. The element's name water. Apart from its use i n
comes from 'caesius', a Latin atomic clocks, caesi u m is used
word mean i ng 'sky blue'. It in excavation of petroleum.
is the softest metal, with a The atomic number of caesium
consistency of wax at room is 55, and the symbol is Cs.

6�----------------Te
What a re the characteristics
of barium?

B ari u m is a soft silvery-white

metal. The name of the element
comes from the Greek word
'barys', meaning 'heavy'. It is
not generally found in nature i n
its pure form. Only compounds
of the metal are available i n the
earth's crust. Even though bari­
um compounds were d iscov­
ered in the 1 71h century itself, it
was H u m phry Davy who first
isolated the metal in 1 808.
Bariu m has a wide range of
uses. The element is used i n rat clearly on x-rays, allowing doc­
poison and oil drilling flu ids. tors to locate and diagnose the
Bariu m has i mportant diagnos­ problem.
tic util ities too. Patients suffer­ An average adult h uman
ing from digestive problems body contains about 22 mg of
are g iven a non-toxic mixture barium. Various vegetables
that contains bariu m before an that we consume everyday
x-ray. This mixture shows u p such as carrots, onions and
beans contai n barium. While
I think this bariu m does not build u p i n the
carrot has more body and is not a carcinogen,
Barium content ...
breathing its dust is u nhealthy.
In the late nineteenth centu­
ry, barium's key commercial
u se was in the production of
pure oxygen. The atomic n u m­
ber of bariu m is 56 and its
ic symbol is Ba.

61
Can lanthanum be pulled
into a string?

l a nthan u m is a soft and duc­

tile metal. Ductility means the
ability of a substance to be
stretched long. Lanthanum can
be easily pulled i nto a string.
The softness of the metal ena­
bles it to be sliced into pieces
with a kitchen knife.
Lanthanum is silvery-white i n
colour. I t was Carl Gustaf Carl Gustaf Mosander
Mosander, a Swedish chemist,
who d iscovered lanthanum i n metal because it is rarer than
1 839. I t wasn't until 1 923, most elements found in their
though, that a fairly pure sam­ pure form on Earth. However,
ple of the element was pro­ the element, i n fact, is not rare
duced. Lanthanum is at all as the concentration of
traditionally considered a rare the element in the earth's crust
is at about thirty-two parts per
m i ll ion.
Lanthanum is an important
factor in the manufacture of
vacuum tubes, hydrogen alloys,
medications, and it has high
utility in molecular biology.
Today, lanthanum is used as a
com ponent of n ickel-metal
Barium compounds are hydride batteries, whose most
highly poisonous. i mportant commercial utility is
Barium powder can i n hybrid cars. Lanthanum has
ignite spontaneously the atomic number of 57, and
in air. its atomic symbol is La.

62
 Who d i scovered the element ceri­
um?

There are three scientists who are

credited with the discovery of the ele­
ment cerium. While Swedish chemists
Jons Jacob Berzelius and Wilhelm H is­
i nger discovered the element i n Swe­
den, Martin Heinrich Klaproth, a
Germa n scientist, discovered it i n his
mother country. Both these d iscoveries
were done i ndependently of each oth­
er, in the year 1 803.
Ceriu m is named after the asteroid
Ceres, a dwarf planet, which was d is­
covered in 1 801 . The planet's name
derives from the Roman goddess of
agriculture. Cerium is one abundant
element.
Ceriu m is a grey silvery-white metal.
It decomposes slowly i n cold water,
and very rapidly in hot water. lt is fou nd
That's not Gold!
i n several minerals including allanite or
Those gold Oscar orthrite, monazite, bastnasite, cerite
statuettes are and samarskite. Large deposits of ceri­
actually britannia um have been found in India, Brazil and
metal plated with i n Southern California.
gold! Britannia Cerium burns when heated and is
metal is an alloy of used in self-cleaning ovens. The fil m
approximately 92 a n d television industry extensively
per cent of tin and uses it in carbon-arc lighting technolo­
the rest, copper gy for studio lighting and projector
and antimony. lights.
The atomic number of cerium is 58,
and the atomic symbol is Ce.

63
Why are praseo­
dymi u m and
neodymium
u nique?

l ike twins, these two

elements were born together! regulate heat in experiments
Carl Auer von Welsbach, an with metals. Neodymium is an
Austrian scientist, discovered i mportant element i n certain
neodymium and praseodymi­ fertilizers. The element, when
um at the same time. He sepa­ alloyed with iron and boron,
rated the elements from a produces the strongest perma­
substance called didymium i n nent magnets known to exist.
1 885. Neodymium has the atomic
Praseodymium can be found nu mber 60 and it is represent­
i n a variety of minerals. Larger ed as Nd.
quantities of the element are
found i n monazite and bastna­
site. Praseodymium is com­
monly used as an alloyi ng
agent with magnesium to cre­
ate high strength metals used
in aircraft engines. The atomic
n u m ber of praseodymi u m is
59, and the element is repre­ Master Minds
sented as Pr. Berzelius and Klaproth
Neodymium is a soft and sil­ are major figures in the
very metal. The element easily history of chemistry. Ber­
reacts with the air. Its uses are zelius discovered seleni­
manifold. Neodymium's chief um in 1817, and thorium
use is as a reddish-purple pig­ in 1828 while Klaproth
ment for glass and ceramics. It discovered both uranium
is also used in cryocoolers that and zirconium in 1789.

Tell Me
 pened in 1 945. They were
able to extract promethi­
um-1 47, an isotope of the
element, from the by-prod­
ucts of uranium fission.
The element had been dis­
covered, in the spectrum of H R
465, a star i n a constellation
called Andromedae, which l ies
What is the con- 520 l ight-years away from us.
nection between The glow-in-the-dark prome­
promethium and Pro­ thium is a highly radioactive
metheus, the Greek hero? element. The element is not
easily found anywhere on
P rometheus is a legendary Earth. Due to its rarity, the ele­
Greek hero. He is known as a ment is primarily used for
trickster because he defied the research. However, scientists
gods and stole fire from them look at it as an element with a
to g ive it to Man. Promethium variety of possibilities. It could
is named after Prometheus. be used in medical devices,
The reason is that the element batteries, and in l u m inescent
glows i n the dark l i ke the fire of paint. The atomic n u m ber of
Prometheus! promethium is 6 1 , and it is rep­
The discovery of the element resented as Pm.
was the result of the hard work
of four scientists: Charles D.
Coryell, Jacob A. Marin sky, Law­
rence E. Glendenin, and Harold
G. Richter. They were trying to
create fuel for an atomic bomb.
The first identification an.d sep­
aration of the element hap-

ELEMENTS
How did samarium get its isolated in its pure form u ntil
name? recently, mischmetal, a n a lloy
mix containing about 1 per
Vassili Samarsky-Bykhovets, cent of samarium metal, has
a Russian mining engineer, was been in use for a long time.
instrumental in the discovery Samarium forms a com­
of a particular mineral which pound with cobalt and this
was named 'samarskite' after alloy is a powerful permanent
his own name. Our element, magnet. It has the highest
samarium, was first extracted
from this m ineral, and thus, is
named after it. Samarsky­
Bykhovets may be the first per­
son to be the namesake of a n
element, a lthough indirectly.
Paul E m i le Lecoq de Boisba­
udran, a French chemist, dis­
covered the element in 1 879.
The element is moderately
hard, and greyish white in col­ resistance to demagnetisation
our. It is fai rly stable in the air of any known material. The ele­
and has a bright silver sheen. ment is used as a neutron
Samarium is found in many absorber in nuclear reactors
m inerals, including monazite and in infrared absorbing glass.
and bastnasite, which are com­ The atomic number of samar­
mercial ly desirable sources. ium is 62, and it is represented
While samarium has not been as Sm.

ct
The existence of an element between
neodymium (No. 60) and samarium
(No. 62) was first predicted by Bohuslav
Brauner, a Czech chemist, in 1 902.

66 Tell Me
Y ou do not have to thin k too much
to real ise how europium got its name.
It is named after the continent Europe.
Europium is silvery white in colour.
However, since the element reacts
with air, it is rarely seen without dis­
colouration. It can be easily moulded
or shaped, and is about as hard as
lead. The French chemist, Eugene­
Anatole Demarcay, is credited with Gadolinium is also sil­
the d iscovery of the element as it was very white in colour in its
he who ultimately produced a rela­ pure form. It is named
tively pure form of europium in 1 90 1 . after the mineral gadolin­
Although humans had been using ite, one of the minerals in
this element and had known of its which gadolinium is
existence, it took many years for man found. It is a malleable
to isolate the element properly. and ductile element. Its
Europium can be found in the ores magnetic properties
bastnasite and monazite. The ele­ allow it to be tracked
ment has also been identified i n the through the human
sun, and some other stars. The atomic body; and therefore, it is
num ber of europium is 63, and it is used for magnetic reso­
represented as Eu. nance imaging i n medi­
cal diagnosis. The atomic
number of gadolinium is
64, and the symbol is Gd.
 I n 1 843, Swedish chemist Carl Gus­
taf Mosander separated the m ineral
gadolinite i nto three materials, which
he cal led yttria, erbia and terbia. From
two of these substances, he d iscov­
ered erbium and terbium. Erbium
and two other elements namely
ytterbium and yttrium are also named
after Ytterby. Although terbium is rel­
atively stable in the air, it reacts with
water when exposed to it. It's used i n
x-ray imaging screens and CDs. Ter­
Frank Spedding
bium has the atomic n u m ber 65, and
is represented as Tb.
Dysprosium is a soft silvery metal.
The element was discovered i n 1 886
by Pau l- E mile Lecoq de Boisba udran,
a French chemist, but he was not able
T erbium is a silvery­ to isolate it. It was not isolated until
white element, which is 1 950, when Canadian scientist Frank
mal leable and so soft Spedding and his team developed
that it can be cut with a ion-exchange separation and metal­
knife. lographic reduction techniques.
It is named after the Dysprosium is not currently used
Swedish vil lage of for a wide range of applications
Ytterby, where the first except when there is no other alter­
sample of the element native. The atomic number of dyspro­
was fou nd. sium is 66, and the symbol is Dy.

H e
Europium is considered to be mildly
toxic. The metal dust is considered to be
a fire and explosion hazard.
 can, in fact, create the
strongest magnetic
fields. Holmium is also
used in nuclear reactors.
Holmium is not gener­
ally seen as a free ele­
ment i n nature but is
found in compounds i n a
oes the e eme t o ·u "' number of m inerals such
and the city Stock o m a e as gadolinite and mona­
a nythi g in comm o ? zite.
It is commercially
Stockholm is the capital city extracted from monazite
of Sweden. Holmium is named and occurs in that m iner­
after this city which is known as al at a rate of about 0.05
Holm ia i n Latin. per cent.
The element was discovered Holmium is mainly used
spectroscopically by Marc in laser surgery. There are
Delafontaine and Jacques-Lou­ not many com mercial
is Soret in 1 878. Per Teodor uses for the element.
Cleve, a Swedish chemist, dis­ The atomic n u m ber of
covered the element i ndepen­ holmium is 67, and it is
dently i n 1 879, and he named it represented as Ho.
after his hometown, Stock­
holm. The pure metal was iso­
lated in 1 91 1 ,by Otto Holmberg.
Holmium is a bright, soft, sil­
very white element. The ele­
ment has some special
magnetic properties and they
enable holmium to be used i n
alloys for the production of
mag nets. Holmium magnets
As we have already seen,
many elements were discov­
ered in the Swedish village
Ytterby. The element erbium
was one among them, and was
discovered in 1 843. It was the
Swedish chemist Carl Gustaf
Mosander who discovered the called them yttria, erbia and
element. Mosander was work­ terbia. As might be expected
i ng with a sample of what was considering the similarities
thought to be the single metal between their names and
oxide yttria, derived from the properties, scientists soon con­
m ineral gadolinite. He extract­ fused erbia and terbia. Mosand­
ed three segments from it and er's terbia became known as
erbia after 1 860, and the earlier
known erbia was renamed ter­
bia after 1 877!
It is difficult to find natural
erbium i ndependently on earth
as it is always found in chemical
'U C compounds. Erbium has a spe­
The International Union of cial ability to absorb harmful
Pure and Applied Chemis­ infra-red rays. Therefore, the
try, I UPAC, is an interna­ element is used in the g lass of
tional federation, safety goggles for welders.
established in 1 91 9. 1t is Erbium occurs in a variety of
best known for standard­ minerals, including gadolinite,
ising nomenclature in euxenite, xenoti me, fergu­
chemistry. lt also stand­ sonite, polycrase and blom­
ardises the atomic strandi ne.
weights of the elements. The atomic number of erbi­
Ryan Thomas um is 68, and its sym bol is Er.

70
 se: es'l

Y es, thulium is used in Euro banknotes

to prevent counterfeiting. The element
i n the note displays blue fluorescence
u nder ultraviolet light thus aiding in d is­
tingu ishing between the real and the
fake currency note.
Thu l i u m gets its name from the name
of an ancient place cal led Th ule which is
associated with Scandinavia. Per Teodor
Cleve, the Swedish chemist, d iscovered
two new materials, one green and one
brown, while working with erbia {erbi­
um oxide) in 1 879, in Uppsala, Sweden.
These tu rned out to be oxides of two
new elements: thulium and holmium.
The green su bstance he named thulia,
which he later found to be thu l i u m
oxide, and t h e brown substance h e
named holmia, which h e later found to
be hol m i u m oxide. Charles James in
New Ham pshire, prepared the first pure
thu l i u m i n 1 91 1 .
This element does not
have many uses as it is rare,
and therefore, costly. There
are many cheaper elements
that can substitute thulium.
It is used in laser equipment
and X-ray devices. The
atomic number of thulium
is 69, and its atomic symbol
is Tm.
What are tfl characteristics
of ytterbi

Y tterbi u m is a bright metal

with silvery white colour. It is a
soft metal, and is both ductile
and malleable. The metal tar­
n ishes q u i ckly in air, and reacts
slowly with water. Ytterbiu m is
considered to be moderately
toxic. Closeness to the com­ Ames Laboratory, Iowa, by A.
pounds of ytterbium can cause Daane, David Denn ison and
i rritation to skin and eyes. F rank Speddi ng . The element is
Jean Charles Galissard de named after Ytterby, a village
Marignac, a Swiss chemist, is in Sweden.
reputed to have discovered Very rarely is ytterbium found
ytterbium in 1 878. However, free in nature. However, the
ytterbium as a pure metal was element is abundantly availa­
produced only in 1 953, at the ble in a number of m inerals
such as monazite, gadoli n ite
euxenite and xenotime.
There are many isotopes of
ytterbium. Isotope 1 60Yb is
radioactive, and is used i n port­
able x-ray machines that need
no electricity. It is used in stress
gauges to monitor ground
The Ancient Egyptians deformations caused by earth­
used many colourful quakes or underground explo­
minerals to decorate sions. Atomic clocks also use
their temples and ytterbium for accuracy of time.
tombs. Some of the The atomic n umber of ytter­
minerals they used bium is 70, and its atomic sym­
such as orpiment, bol is Yb.
were poisonous.
 Welsbach had some other ide­
T here is an interesting story as. Both of them accused each
behind the naming of the ele­ other of using each other's
ment now known as lutetium. research details as well. Any­
Lutetium was discovered in how, Urbain's name was
1 907 independently by three accepted, and it gained popu­
scientists. They were Cha rles larity with a small change in
James, an American scientist, spelling -from lutecium to lute­
Georges Urbain, a French tium.
chemist, and Carl Auer von The element has not been
Welsbach, an Austrian m i neral­ isolated until recent years, and
ogist. When it came to naming it is one of the most difficult
the element, there was a dis­ ones to prepare. There are very
pute among them. Urbain, a few commercial uses for luteti­
French by birth, proposed two um because it is too expensive,
names, one of which was 'lute­ and too difficult to extract.
cium', conceived from Lutetia, The atomic num ber of luteti­
the Roman name for Paris. um is 7 1 , and its symbol is Lu.
 The ancients used crushed antimony as
black paint. They even used it as
eyeliner. But they did not know how
dangerously toxic it was.

and forms a film to protect

itself. Due to this tendency of
the metal, hafn i u m is very
H afn i u m is a silvery g rey resistant to corrosion. A single
shiny metal. The element is fine particle of hafn i u m can
named after Hafnia, the Latin spontaneously combust when
name for Copenhagen, the it comes in contact with air.
capital city of Denmark. It is Hafnium does not exist i n
there that the element was d is­ nature o n its own. I t i s usually
covered. found combined with zirconi­
Hafn i u m nuclei has the ability um to form minerals. Hafnium
to absorb multiple neutrons; is used i n the manufacture of
and therefore, it is used i n alloys with several metals,
nuclear reactors, especially i ncluding i ron, niobiu m, titani­
nuclear powered submarines. um, and tantal u m .
Dmitri Mendeleev had pre­ Hafn ium h a s t h e atomic num­
dicted the possible existence of ber 72, and it is represented as
hafn i um. He predicted an ele­ Hf.
ment with similar features in his
report i n 1 869. However, it had
not been discovered until 1 923
by Dirk Coster, a Dutch physi­
cist, and Georg von Hevesy, a
H u ngarian radio-chemist.
Hafn i u m has many i nterest­
ing features. It reacts with air
 a

0 o you know how the element tan­

talum gets its name? There is a Greek
mythological figure cal led Ta ntalus
who was sentenced for his heinous
crimes. He was punished to eternally
stand in a stream, beneath a tree with
fru it-laden branches, never being Portugal, Nigeria, Zai re
able to satiate his hunger or quench and Canada. It is used i n
his thirst. The element tantalum is a variety of alloys to add
named after this villainous character. high strength, ductil ity
Tantalum was discovered by Anders and a high melting poi nt.
Ekeberg, a Swiss chemist, in 1 802. The atomic number of
Ekeberg was an expert in G reek litera­ tantalum is 73, and its
ture, and he was deaf! atomic sym bol is Ta.
The element is blue-grey i n colour,
and is a very hard metal with the
fourth highest melting point of a ny
metallic element. It is well known for
its ability to resist corrosion by acids,
even aqua regia, a strong acidic mix­
ture of n itric acid and hydrochloric
acid.
There is a wide variety of minerals
that contain tantalum, but only five
are viable for commercial uses at pre­
sent. They a re euxenite, microlite,
polycrase, tantalite, and wodginite.
Of these minerals, tantalite is the
most i mportant for tanta l u m m i ning.
Tantalum is mainly fou nd in Aus­
tralia, Brazil, Mozambique, Thailand,
 the bulbs. It was none other than
tungsten .
Tungsten is most used for t h e fi la­
ments of light bulbs and other types
T homas Alva Edison is of lighting, because it has the highest
probably a familiar name melting point of all the metals. It
to everyone. He was an ranges in colour from a steely g rey, to
inventor who is credited almost white.
with the invention of Carl Wilhelm Scheele, a German­
light bulb. Swedish chemist, hypothesized the
After so many trial and existence of tungsten in 1 78 1 . Two
error experiments with years later, Spanish chemists, Jose
metal for the filaments, and Fausto Elhuyar isolated tungsten.
he came across a metal The name tungsten comes from the
which was suitable for Swedish words 'tung sten', meaning
heavy stone. Tungsten is the heaviest
Don't worry of all elements known to play a bio­
about heat. log ical role. Tungsten is resistant to
attack by alkali, oxygen, and acids.
Production of tungsten is difficult,
due to its high melting point.
It has the atomic number 74, and its
atomic symbol is W.
The symbol comes from its alterna­
tive name wolfram used by German
tin miners.

Tell Me Why
 75

Re
R henium is a tough metal. It Osmium is a hard and brittle
is si lvery grey in colour, and metal, in bluish white colour.
very heavy. The name comes from the
Three German chemists, Wal­ Greek word osme, which
ter Noddack, Ida Tacke, and means smell, scent or odour.
Otto Berg are credited with the British chemist Smithson Ten­
discovery and naming of the nant discovered osmium in
element in 1 925. 1 803. The atomic number of
They reported that they had osmium is 76, and its atomic
detected the element in plati­ symbol is Os.
n u m ore and in the mineral �.....
col u mbite. They also found
rhenium in gadolinite and
molybdenite. The trio named
the element after the Rhine
River in Germany.
Rhenium has the hig hest
boiling point of any of the ele­
ments. The single most com­ A painful weakening dis­
mon commercial use for ease known as ltai-ltai in
rhenium is in the alloys that Japan was caused by eat­
make up jet engines. Rhenium ing rice grown on soil
has the atomic number 75, and contaminated with high
its atomic symbol is Re. levels of cadmium.

77
D o you use a Parker fou ntai n
pen? A Parker 5 1 pen's n i b has
iridium in it.
The d iscovery of iridi u m is
very similar to that of osmium.
Scientists dissolved plati n u m
i n aqua regia, only to find a
dark insoluble residue that
resem bled graphite forming in ish hue. Though it is not abun­
the liquid. Smithson Tennant, dant in the earth's crust,
an English chemist, noticed Iridium's presence i n meteor­
that the residue contained two ites is considerable. Due to the
elements osmium and i ridium difficulty in extracting iridium,
i n 1 803. I n 1 804 he published there are not many industrial
his work and officially named applications for the element.
both elements that he had However, its al loys are used
accidental ly discovered. widely. Iridium's ato m ic n u m­
Iridium is a very hard and brit­ ber is 77, and it is represented
tle metal. It is one of the densest as lr.
elements, second in density
only to osmium. Iridium is one
of the rarest metals and the
most corrosion-resistant one.
Therefore, it is used for deep
water pipes and for the con­
tacts in spark plugs. The ele­
ment has utility in spacecraft
engineering and telescope
manufacture. Iridium is a mem­
ber of the platinum family, and
is white in colour, with a yellow-

78
 a n

P eople love to wear on their

body expensive metals such as
silver, gold and platin u m i n the
form of ornaments. While silver
and gold are common jewel­
lery, platinum is not as com­
mon due to its high cost.
Ancient civilizations of Cen­
tral and South America have
used platinum for centuries.
Archaeologists have d i scov­
ered traces of the element i n
t h e gold used by the Ancient
Egyptians as early as 1 200 BC. al. It was once known as 'white
However, scientists started to gold' due to its colour and cost.
study the element only after It is highly resistant to tarnish­
European exploration of the i ng and corrosion and is very
Americas began. soft and malleable.
Platin um, a highly valued Though it is rare in the earth's
and desired metal, has a wide crust, the earth's moon and
range of uses, including jewel­ meteorites often contai n g reat
lery, electrical contacts, pace­ deposits of plati n u m . South
makers, drugs and magnets. Africa is the leading producer
Platin u m tends to be very of refined platin um. The atomic
expensive because of its rarity. n u m ber of platin u m is 78, and
Platin u m is a silvery white met- its atomic sym bol is Pt.

E L E M ENTS 79
 at makes go chemical symbol is Au, which
favourite metal? comes from the Latin worif
'aurum', meaning glow of sun­
G old is an indispensable met­ rise.
al in our l ife. People wear gold Gold is the most workable
ornaments during special occa­ metal. It is soft and can be ham­
sions such as weddings and fes­ mered into i ncredibly thin
tivals. For people, gold sheets called 'gold leaf'. Gold
has diverse utilities as it is used
for teeth filling, jewellery, elec­
trical circuit boards, space sat­
ellites and coins.
The amount of gold in an
object is measured in carats.
Pure gold is 24 carats. A carat
was originally a unit of weight
based on the carob seed or
bean, and it was used by
a ncient merchants in the Mid­
dle East.
The atomic n u m ber of gold is
79.
ornaments are not only highly
sought-after accessories but
also a secure investment option
due to its consistent price. What
makes gold such a desirable
metal?
Gold has been prized for its ,.

yellow colour and shine since

prehistoric times. It is popular The unit of weight, is
mainly because its glow hardly officially determined by
d i m i nishes. The glittering ele­ a platinum-iridium cyl­
ment has the ability to excite inder made in 1879.
people like no other. Gold's Shijo Varghese
- 'ere moves about q u ickly, without
getting stuck to the surface.
M ercury has always been sur­ Mercury is extracted by heat­
rounded by mysteries. From ing cinnabar, a red mineral.
ancient times, people had been This is most abundant in Spain,
intrigued by its dubious form Russia and China.
and ambiguous nature. Mercu­ All forms of mercu ry a re dan­
ry is a metal in liquid form. gerous. However, methyl mer­
Alchemists thought that mer­ cury is the most poisonous
cury was the primordial matter variant. Once va lued as a med­
from which all other meta ls icine, mercury is now proven to
ori g i nated. They even bel ieved be a deadly toxin. Mercu ry's
that mercury cou ld be turned atomic number is 80, and it is
into gold by chemica l experi­ represented as Hg.
mentation.
The metal is the heaviest l iq­
u id i n the world. The liquid ele­
ment is easily obtained, and
fascinating to look at -no won­
der people thought it was mag­
ical. It's found in every l iving
thing; and is, therefore, i n every
mouthful of food we eat.
Mercury is also called q uicksil­
ver because it is silvery, and
 . u i s·lver
Mercury's symbol comes from its Latin
word 'hydrargyrum', meaning liquid
silver.

rffer-
e o erl

Thallium is a silvery white

metal that tends to react with
air when exposed to it. Two sci­
entists, Will iam Crookes, a n
English physicist, a n d Claude­
Auguste Lamy, a French chem­
ist, discovered tha l l i u m
i ndependently of each other i n The chemical symbol for lead is
1 861 . Thallium was named Pb, which comes from the Latin
after the Greek word thal los, word 'plumbu m', meaning
mea n ing 'a green shoot' or 'a plumbing or waterworks. It has
tree twig'. Thallium salts are the atomic number 82.
used i n rat and insect poisons. Bismuth is a shiny brownish­
The element plays a significant si lver metal. It is represented as
role in nuclear medicine. The Bi, and has the atomic number
atomic number of tha l l i u m is 83. Bismuth has been in use
8 1 , and its atomic symbol is Tl. since ancient times, and was
Lead is a heavy metal which previously confused with both
is denser than many common lead and tin. While no single
metals. It is an incredibly useful person is credited with its dis­
metal, but it is also toxic to covery, it wasn't until 1 753 that
h u mans. Lead is widely used i n Claude Geoffroy, a French
a variety o f products, including chemist, discovered that it was
cosmetics, paint and gasoline. a separate element.

82 Tell Me Why
 h o d i scovered polonium a d
asta i ne?

P olonium was discovered by Marie

Curie, a Polish physicist, in 1 898. This
element is a strongly radioactive met­
al. Polonium takes its name from
Poland, Marie Cu rie's motherland.
Poland then was not a n independent
country and Curie hoped that nam­
ing the element after Poland wou ld
make her country's p l ight known to
the world!
Marie Curie isolated polo n i u m from Marie Curie
ura n i u m ores and pitch blende, a ura­
n i u m-rich mineral, in which it exists i n by Dale Corson, Kenneth
tiny amounts. Polonium is used in McKenzie and Emilio
nuclear reactors. It is represented as Segre at the University of
Po, and its atomic number is 84. California, Berkeley.
The existence of astatine had been Astatine is the rarest
predicted in the 1 800s. Mendeleev i n element on Earth;
his periodic table h a d left a n empty approximately 25 grams
space after iodine, signi fyi ng a yet-to­ occur natura lly on the
be-found element. Astatine, howev­ planet at any g iven time.
er, was discovered much later in 1 940 Astatine has an impor­
tant use in nuclear medi­
cine, but it decays so
quickly that it must be
used within a matter of
hours following produc­
tion.
The atomic symbol of
astatine is At, and its
atomic n um ber is 85.

83
 ford and Robert B. Owens. Radon is a
colourless and odourless gas; howev­
er, it is dangerous because it gives off
rad iation. Some spas i n Japan and
Austria specialise i n radon bathing,
which supposedly makes people feel
you ng and energetic again. It is repre­
sented as Rn, and its atomic number
is 86.
Francium is named after the coun­
try of France. Francium was discov­
ered by Marguerite Perey, a French
chemist. It is an intensely radioactive
element. It is one of the rarest ele­
ments in nature. Francium's atomic
number is 87, and it is represented as
Fr.
Radium is a silvery white metal that
q u i ckly reacts with nitrogen in the air.
The name of the element comes from
C an an element even­ the Latin word radius, meaning 'ray',
tually become another as radi u m glows fai ntly in the dark. It
element? Radon is pro­ is a poisonous, heavy, and rad ioactive
duced when the element metal. The element was discovered
radi u m slowly decays. by Marie Curie and Pierre Curie. It has
The element was discov­ the atomic number 88, and is repre­
ered by Ernest Ruther- sented as Ra.

Up in the Cold Moon

Polonium was used in the Lunokhod 1,
and Lunokhod 2, the Russian lunar rovers,
to keep them warm.

Tell Me Why
 hat a re the element num­
bers 89, 90 and 91 ? 89
E
Ac
lement number 89 is actin i­
um. The element, d iscovered
by Friedrich Oskar Giesel i n
1 902, i s a silvery white radioac­
tive metal. The word acti n i u m
comes from t h e Greek word
'aktis' or 'aktinos', which means
beam or ray. It is so rad ioactive
that it glows in the dark. The trous metal. It is potentially a n
element's radioactivity, its rari­ alternative t o u ra n i u m in fuel­
ty, and hence its high cost have ling nuclear reactors. In its liq­
made actinium the least indus­ uid state, thoriu m has a greater
trially useful element. Actin i u m temperature ra nge than any
is represented as Ac. other element, with nearly
Element number 90, thorium, 3,000 degrees Celsius. Since
is named after Thor, the Nordic thori um is a health hazard, its
god of thunder, lightning and use has steadily come down
storm. A highly radioactive ele­ over the years. It is represented
ment, thorium is a silvery, I us- as Th.
Protactinium, is a bright sil­
Hi, very metal. The element with
I'm a friend the atomic n um ber 91 decays
of Thor. to form a nother metal actini­
um. The name protactinium
means before acti nium. Dis­
covery of the element is attrib­
uted to Otto Hahn and Lise
Meitner. The element was iso­
lated by Aristid von Grosse. It
has no known uses.
Protactinium's atomic sym­
bol is Pa.

85
 reactors to generate electricity. It has
the atomic number 92, and its atomic
symbol is U.
Neptunium is the element number
93. 1t was discovered by Edwin McMil­
lan and Philip Abelson, American
Martin H. Klaproth
physicists, in 1 940. Compared to ura-
n i u m, neptunium is not very radioac­
cbiUilitlb9'- tive. Neptunium'scurrentapplications
are l i m ited. The element is represent­
ed as N p.
Under standard conditions, pluto­
U ran i u m is named nium is a hard, brittle, silvery metal.
after the planet U ranus Plutonium is an extremely rare ele­
and the Greek god of the ment in the earth's crust. It is so rare
heavens. The element i s that for many years, it was thought
rad ioactive; a n d there­ that it did not occur naturally.
fore, exposure to the ele­ Plutonium is used in both nuclear
ment by humans can reactors and nuclear weapons. It was
pose immediate threat plutonium that was used in the crea­
to life. Uranium, a silvery tion of the second n u clear weapon
white metal, was discov­ deployed during World War II known
ered and identified i n as the 'Fat Man', the atomic bomb
1 789 by a German chem­ dropped on Nagasaki, Japa n, on 91h
ist, Martin H. Klaproth. August 1 945. Plutonium has the
This important element atomic number 94, and it is repre­
is used as fuel in nuclear sented as Pu.

86 Tell Me Why
 the wartime metallurgi­
cal laboratory at the Uni­
versity of Chicago.
A mericium is named after the Curium is produced from
Americas. Americium, is created dur­ plutoni u m, and is used
ing the nuclear reactions of heavy as a power source for
elements. Scientists say that before pacemakers, navigation­
its actua l production in 1 944, the ele­ al buoys and spacecraft.
ment would have been likely created It has the atomic n umber
during nuclear experiments! 96, and its atomic sym­
Americium is a highly radioactive bol is Cm.
element that can be dangerous when Berkelium is named
handled incorrectly and can cause after a city called Berke­
severe illnesses. This element's main ley, in Cal ifornia, where it
use is in smoke detectors as part of was first discovered.
fire-safety measures as it prod uces a Obtained from plutoni­
tiny current that triggers alarm when um in nuclear reactors,
it meets with particles of smoke. Its less than one gram of it is
atomic number is 95, and it is repre­ produced each year.
sented as Am. There is hardly any indus­
Curium is named in honour of Pierre trial significance for the
and Marie Curie. It is a hard, dense element, other than sci­
and silvery metal. The element was entific research. Berkeli­
identified by Glenn Seaborg, Ralph um is represented as Bk,
James and Albert Ghiorso in 1 944 at and it has the atomic
number 97.

E L E M ENTS 87
 Labori Job
The researchers at first
referred to americium as
'pandemonium', meaning
'devll's assembly' in John
Milton's Paradise Lost,
owing to the difficulty
Albert Einstein they encountered trying
to isolate it.
How did the elements 98, 99 Sneha Rao
a n d 1 00 have such c:: u rious
n ames?
amounts, and has a very short
E lement 98 is californium. It is lifetime. Einstein i u m was dis­
a synthetic, radioactive ele­ covered during the exam i na­
ment which is not found i n tion of debris from the first
nature. Californi u m represent­ hydrogen bomb test in Novem­
ed with the symbol Cf, is named ber 1 952.
after the University of Califor­ Element n u m ber 1 00 is fermi­
nia, where it was first made i n um, and it was d iscovered in
1 950. This radioactive metal is 1 953. It is named after Enrico
made from plutonium in nucle­ Fermi, a nuclear physicist, who
ar reactors. developed the first artificial,
Einsteinium is named after self-sustaining nuclear reactor.
the great scientist Albert Ein­ Fermi had d ied in 1 954, at the
stein. Its atomic n u m ber is 99, time when the research results
and it is represented as Es. Ein­ on the newly discovered ele­
steinium, a synthetic element, ment were being presented.
is produced in extremely small Fermium is represented as Fm.

88 Tell Me Why
T hree g reat scientists are
honoured in the naming of
these elements.
Mendelevium is a synthetic
element named after Dmitri Alfred Nobel
Mendeleev, father of the peri­
odic table. Glenn Seaborg, dynamite and benefactor of
Albert Ghiorso, Gregory Chop­ the Nobel Prize. The element
pin, Stanley Thompson, and was officially discovered in
Bernard Harvey synthesised April 1 958 by Al bert Ghiorso,
the element mendelevium i n Glenn Seaborg, Torbjorn Si kke­
1 955._ The first sample of men­ land and John R. Walton. As
delevium was only seventeen nobelium has been produced
atoms! Due to its rarity, there only i n smal l quantities, its use
are no known commercial is restricted to scientific
applications for the element. research alone. It has the atom­
The atomic number of the ele­ ic number 1 02, and the atomic
ment is 1 0 1 , and it is represent­ symbol, No.
ed as Md. Lawrencium is named after
Nobelium is named after Ernest Lawrence, inventor of
Alfred Nobel, the inventor of the cyclotron, a particle accel­
erator, in which radioactive ele­
ments are isolated. There are
no known commercia l uses for
lawrencium, as it does not
occur natura lly. The atomic
number of lawrencium is 1 03,
and its atomic symbol is Lr.
 synthetic element, rutherfordium is
not found in natu re i n its pure form
but is created in a laboratory. The ele­
ment was discovered by a team of
researchers worki ng at the N uclear
Institute in Dubna, Soviet Union.
Although the Dubna team had
claimed its discovery in 1 968, another
team at Berkeley also claimed discov­
ery in 1 970. Its atomic symbol is Rf.
character­ Dubnium is a highly radioactive syn­
e emen s thetic metal. The element is repre­
1 06? sented as Db, and its atomic nu mber
is 1 05. It is named after the Russian
E lement number 1 04 is town of Dubna, where it was first pro­
rutherfordium. It is duced. Dubnium behaves similarly to
named after the g reat tantalum, but its chemical properties
scientist Ernest Ruther­ have not been fully confi rmed.
ford, who was one of the Seaborgium has the atomic n umber
first men to explain the 1 06, and is represented as Sg. This ele­
structure of the atom. A ment is named after Glenn Seaborg,
an American physicist, who has signif­
icantly contributed to nuclear chemis­
CURIOUS
� FACT _ try.
The element was d iscovered by the

. \). scientists at Lawrence Berkeley

National Laboratory in 1 974. No
observable amount of the element
has ever been produced, so its appear­
Most Stable ance, melting point and boiling point
There are sixteen a re unknown.
known isotopes of Due to its limited sam ple size and
mendelevium. The rarity, there are no known uses for
most stable isotope seaborgium.
is Md-258.

90
 Research Institute. Peter Arm­
bruster, Gottfried Munzenberg
and thei r colleagues d iscov­
ered hassiu m in 1 984, around
the same time they d iscovered
bohri u m . A Russian team was
the first to attempt to synthe­
sise hassiu m in 1 978. However,
they were unsuccessful. It has
the atomic n u m ber 1 08, and it
is represented as Hs.
Meitneriu m is a n i ntensely
radioactive synthetic element.
It is named after Lise Meitner,
B ohri u m is a synthetic ele­ Austrian physicist, who first
ment named after Dan ish phys­ suggested that radioactive
icist Niels Bohr, who was the atoms could spontaneously
first scientist to correctly split apart releasing energy.
explain atomic structu re. Bohri­ Meitnerium was discovered by
um is one of the later d iscover­ the same team of German
ies, as it was not fully d iscovered researchers who isolated has­
u ntil 1 987. sium and bohriu m . Its atomic
A German research team number is 1 09, and symbol is
u nder the direction of Peter Mt.
Armbruster and Gottfried
Munzenberg successfully syn­
thesized the element at Darm­
stadt, Germany. It has the
atomic n umber 1 07, and is rep­
resented as Bh.
Hassium is named after the
German state of Hesse, home
of the German N uclear
 The element bohrium was originally
given a longer name nielsbohrium,
which was later shortened by the Inter­
national Union of Pure and Applied
Chemistry (IUPAC).

the periodic table was held with the

placeholder name of 'ununnilium'. Its
current name was officially assigned
in 2003 by the I U PAC. It is believed to
O armstadtium is a syn­ have somewhat s i m i lar properties to
thetic element and it has n ickel, palladium and platinum.
Darmstadtium is represented as Ds.
Element number 1 1 1 is roentgeni­
um, a synthetic element. It is an
extremely radioactive element.
Roentgenium is named after Wilhelm
Conrad Roentgen, the German physi­
cist who discovered X-rays. It was first
synthesized in 1 994. Roentgenium is
represented as Rg.
Element number 1 1 2 is copernici­
um, a radioactive element created in
a laboratory. Copernicium is named
after N icolaus Copernicus, the famed
the atomic number 1 1 0. astronomer. The symbol Cp was i n i­
The element is named tial ly recommended for element 1 1 2,
after the city of Darm­ but was rejected, because Cp had
stadt, Germany, where it once been used as the symbol for
was first produced. Prior lutetium, which, prior to 1 949, was
to its official discovery, sometimes called cassiopeium. Now
darmstadtium's place on the element is represented as Cn.
N ihonium is an extremely
rad ioactive synthetic element.
It is so radioactive that one of
its isotopes is reduced to half
its i n itial quantity within 1 0
seconds! Very little i s known
about nihonium. It is classified A synthetic element, mos­
as a metal, and is expected to covium was first synthesized in
be solid at room temperature. 2003. The element is named
The first undisputed claim of its after Moscow Oblast, Russia,
d i scovery was made in 2004 by where the element was first
scientists from Japan. It was i n synthesized. Moscovium has
November 20 1 6, that the I nter­ the atomic n um ber 115, and is
national Union of Pure and represented as Me.
Applied Chemistry (I U PAC)
approved the name nihonium
for element 1 1 3. It is represent­
ed as Nh.
Flerovium is named after
Georgy Flyorov, founder of the
Joint I n stitute of N uclear
Research in Russia, where the T �o Claims
element was discovered. Gerhard Schmidt and
Flerovium is a radioactive ele­ Marie Curie discovered,
ment about which little is independently, that
known. There is hardly any use thorium was radioactive
for flerovium, outside experi­ in 1 898. However,
mental interests. The atomic Schmidt is often
n u m ber of the element is 1 1 4, credited with the
and it is represented as Fl. discovery.

93
 l ivermorium, the element
n umber 1 1 6, is named after the A Joint Venture
Lawrence Livermore National
Tennessine was discov­
Laboratory in California. The
ered in 201 0, and was
element was first synthesized
jointly announced on
by the scientists of J I N R, Dubna,
April 5 of that year by the
in 2000. The name was offici a l ly
scientists of JINR in
g iven by the I nternational
Dubna, Russia, and LLNL
U nion of Pure and Applied
in California, USA.
Chemistry on May 23'd, 201 2.
An extremely radioactive ele-

ment is not fou nd naturally in

the universe, nothing much is
known about it. The element is
expected to be a solid, but its
classification is unknown. I n
November 20 1 6, t h e I nterna­
tional U n ion of Pure and
Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)
approved the name tennessine
for element 1 1 7, after the
ment, Livermorium can be pro­ American state, Tennessee. The
duced only artificially; and element is represented as Ts.
� therefore, l ittle is known a bout Oganesson is a radioactive,
it. The element is represented artificially produced element
as Lv. about which little is known. It is
Ten nessine is a rad ioactive expected to be a gas. The atom­
element. It is artificially pro­ ic number of oganesson is 1 1 8,
duced in a lab. Since the ele- and the symbol is Og.
 Here's a contest for
our readers. Can you identify
this great scientist?
All you need to do is send us an
e- mail, naming the person.
(PLEASE GIVE YOUR POSTAL ADDRESS AND
PHONE N U MBER ALSO IN THE E-MAIL)
You are also welcome to send
your answers by post.
Ten winners will be awarded
prizes. In case there are more than
ten correct entries, the winners
will be chosen by lot.
 Harsh Kumar Soumen Das, Ber­
Sharma, Gurgaon, hampore, had an
points out a cor­ add-on i nformation.
rection to the Tel l It is about the histo­
M e Why issue o n ry of radio. Jagadish
Stories Behind Chandra Bose, an
Everyday Things Indian scientist, had
(Ju ne). He refers to made significant
Page 5, where it is contributions to the
wrongly men­ development of
tioned that friction matches radio. His experiments were
had tips coated with potas­ contemporaneous with that
sium chloride and a ntimony of Guglielmo Marconi. He
sulphide paste. I n fact, they invented a crystal radio
are coated with potassium detector, waveguide, horn
chlorate and antimony sul­ antenna, and other appara­
phide. tuses.
Thankyou readers foryour valuable feedback. - Editor

1 . Pridhvi S. S.
Kerala. 1 . Emily Bronte
2. Krishnendu Mandai 7.Rishabh Nandakumar 2. T.S. Eliot
Uttar Pradesh. Kerala. 3. Fyodor Dostoyevsky
3. Dheeraj Manghnani 8. Roxane Choksi 4. John M ilton
Rajasthan. Maharashtra. 5. Ernest Hemi ngway
4. Chittesh Avasthi 9. Akash Sarangi 6. Gabriel Ga rcia
Punjab. Jharkhand.
 It is possible to fire a g u n in space,
even though space is vacuum and no
oxygen is present there.
Modern guns have their own i nternal
oxidisers. These oxidisers a re the chem­
icals, that trigger the explosion of gun­
powder. And this explosion, on the
other hand, forces the fi ring of the bul­
let. That means we can fire a gun wher­
ever we are in the universe and oxygen
is not at all a requirement.
Though it is possible to fire a gun in
space, the bullet won't travel any faster
.7 than it would on Earth. On Earth, grav­
ity eventually pulls the bullet down,
Question sent by: even if it doesn't hit a nything. In space,
Neeraj Rao on e-mail
where there is no g ravity, the bullet
Send us your questions could keep moving forever as long as it
E mail: tellmewhy@mmp.in doesn't hit something.

ELEMENTS 97
98 Tell Me Why
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