Discovering Elements

1
Discovering Elements
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Discovering the Periodic Table
Journal of Chemical Education, Sept. 1989
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Discovering the Periodic Table
Journal of Chemical Education, Sept. 1989
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Discovering the Periodic Table
Journal of Chemical Education, Sept. 1989
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Discovering the Elements
Metal gold silver
iron mercury tin copper
lead Symbol
Celestial body Sun Moon Mars
Mercury Jupiter Venus
Saturn Day Latin (dies) Solie
Lunae Martis Mercurii Jovis
Veneris Saturni French dimanche
lundi mardi mercredi jeudi
vendredi samdi English
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Thursday Friday Saturday
Ringnes, Journal of Chemical Education, Sept.
1989, page 731
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Chemical Symbols
Sun
Moon
Mars
Venus
Saturn
Jupiter
Mercury
Ancient Astronomical Symbols
Brownlee, Fuller, Hancock, Sohon, Whitsit, First
Principles of Chemistry, 1931, page 74
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Chemical Symbols
Brownlee, Fuller, Hancock, Sohon, Whitsit, First
Principles of Chemistry, 1931, page 74
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Origin of Names of Elements
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Origin of the Names of Elements
Title Number of Elements Pre-chemical
Names 10 Names from celestial bodies
8 Names from mythology / superstition 10 Names
from minerals / ores, other than geographical
names 13 Names from colors 9 Names from
properties other than color 8 Geographical
names from the domicile or workplace of the
discoverer(s) 13 Geographical names from
minerals / ores 10 Constructed
names 16 Names from persons 10
Ringnes, Journal of Chemical Education, Sept.
1989, page 731
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Map of Elements Discovered
Ringnes, Journal of Chemical Education, Sept.
1989, page 732
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Several Synthetic Elements

• Man-made
• Bk Berkelium
• Cf Californium
• Am Americium
• All made by nuclear bombardment at Berkeley,
  California, U.S.A.

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Selected Elements
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Einsteinium (Es)

• Albert Einstein
• Relativity
• E mc2
• Offered Presidency of Israel
• Element 99
• Photoelectric effect
• Solar calculator

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Curium (Cm)

• Madame Curie
• Pioneer in radioactivity
• (Ra radium)
• 25 pounds of pitchblende ore yields 1/1000 of a
  gram of radium
• Emits 2 millions times as much radiation as
  uranium
• (Rn radon gas)
• Discovered 5 elements
• Nobel Prize (5 in Curie family)
• Born in Poland
• (Po polonium)

Marie Curie (18671934)
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Radium (Ra)
Radium was used as a fluorescent paint on
watch dials. It was applied with thin brushes
that workers would lick to keep a fine tip. Many
people died from the exposure to radium.
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Radon Gas
Radon gas occurs naturally from the radioactive
decay of radium. Radium is found in small
amounts in rock.
Ra ? Rn radiation
Predicted fraction of homes over 4
picocuries/liter radon
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Nobelium (No)Element 102
Inventor dynamite (TNT) blasting gelatin
Nobel Prize
Trinitrotoluene
Alfred Nobel
Merchant of Death
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Seaborgium (Sg)

• Glenn Seaborg
• Separated f-block from rest of periodic table
• Worked on Manhattan Project
• (Atomic bomb)
• Classified until after WW II
• Element 106
• Name dispute no elements named after living
  persons (IUPAC rule)

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Silicon vs. Silicone

• Silicon (Si) element
• Silicone (Si O Si) polymer
• Sealant (caulk) prevents leaks
• Breast augmentation

No cause-and-effect relationship exists between
breast enlargement and breast cancer. Only
one researcher found a causal link.
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Magnesium
Atomic Mass 24 amu melting point silver
gray metal used in flash bulbs, bombs,and
flares 8th most abundant element (2.2 of
Earths crust) lack of Mg produces same
biological effect as alcoholism (delirium
tremens)
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Potassium Metal in Water
Newmark, CHEMISTRY, 1993, page 25