Elements of the Day

Hydrogen

• Location: Above group 1A
• Most abundant element in the universe
• Reacts with sulfur to create nauxious odors
• Form of hydrogen used to produce energy on the sun (fusion).
• Main component of stars

Alkali Metals

• Location: group 1A
• Has +1 charge when forming compounds
• Always found combined in nature
• Lustrous, silvery, soft solid
• Most reactive group of metals
• Must be stored under Kerosene or Argon to prevent violent reactions
• Reacts with water to pruduce a base

Lithium

• Location: group 1A Family: Alkali Metals
• from Greek wor 'lithos' meaning stone
• Compounds of Lithium used to treat gout and manic depression
• Used in air conditioning systems
• Less dense than water

Sodium

• Location: group 1A family:Alkali Metals
• Latin name -Natrium
• Useful compounds include tablesalt(NaCl)and Baking soda(NaHCO3)
• Sodium metal is used in sodium vapor lamps and as heat exchanges in nuclear reactors
• Produces a yellow-orange flame when burned
• Less dense than water

Potassium

• Location: group 1A Family: Alkali Metals
• Produces lavender flames when burned
• Found in high quantities in bananas
• Critical for human nerve impulse transmission

Rubidium

• Location: group 1A Family: Alkali Metals
• Pruduces a yellow-violet color flame when burned
• Is a silvery, white metal: however its name is from the Latin word'rubius' which means deep red, because of the ruby red spectral light
• Melting point -103f 39C
• Used in manufacturing of vacume and cathode tubes

Cesium

• Location: group 1a Family:Alkali Metals
• named for Latin'Coesius' meaning sky blue (from spectral lines)
• CsOH(cesium hydroxide)is the most powerful base discovered
• Used as an absorber of iinactivated gasses in cathode ray tubes
• Used in the production of photoelectric devices and atomic clocks

Francium

• Location: group 1A Family:Alkali Metals
• Named for country where it was discovered
• No more than 15-25 grams of element in earths crust
• Very unstable, all isotopes are radioactive with the longest halflife of 22min
• All Samples available today are manufactured artificially

Alkali Earth Metals

• Location: group II
• Has +2 charge when forming compounds
• Family name comes from the days of alchemy prior to 1700's
• Alchemist practiced a mixture of science, magic, and religion
• At the time Alkaline came from the word Kalium(base) because most of these elements form a base in water

Beryllium

• Location: group 2A Family:Alkaline Earth Metals
• Primary constituent of emerald
• Used in many of the components for the nuclear power industry
• First named 'Glucium' because of a sugary taste

Magnesium

• Location: group 2A Family:Alkaline Earth Metals
• Burns in air giving off a brilliant blue white light
• Used in alloys with aluminum to improve strength and resistance
• Used in manufacturing of antacids(milk of Magnesium)
• Isolated from Epsons salt in 1800's

Calcium

• Location:group 2A Family: Alkaline Earth Metals
• Named from latin'Ccalx'; ancient name for lime(not the fruit)
• 5th most abundant element- none exists in calcium metal
• Common calcium compounds: Lime-CaO;chalk-CaCo3;plaster-CaSO4;teeth-Ca3(pO4)2

Stronium

• Location:group 2A Family:Alkaline Earth Metals
• Salts of Strontium pruduce billiant red flames, used in pyrotechnic devices
• Strontium-90 isotope is a fallout product of atomic bobm explosion, Deadly because it accumulates in the bone and tissue and interferes with red blood cell production

Barium

• Location:group 2A Family:Alkaline Earth Metals
• Discovery began in early 1500's near bologna, Italy
• BaSO4(Barite) Stones can glow up to 6yrs after intense charcoal heating attracted the attention of alchemist and witches
• Barite is used today as a filler for rubber, plastics, and resins
• Barite is usually invisible in water, while all Barium compounds are deadly poison, Barite can be swallowed and pass through the body before being absorbed, unusually opaque to X-rays so picture of digestive syatem can be obtained
• Ba(NO3)2 burns with brilliant lime green flame; used in flares anf fireworks\

Radium

• Location: group 2A Family: Alkiline Earth Metals
• Glows in the dark
• It is so radioactive that hand written lab notes of the discoverers(Marie and Pierre Curie) are still unable to be handled
• When mixed with ZnS, it was used to make luminous paints for watches and clocks

Halogens

• Location: group VII
• Elements in this group have -1 charge when forming the negative ion for compounds
• Name means 'salt formers'
• Most reactive nonmetals
• When in the gaseos state; can be identified by distinctive colors

Flourine

• Location: group VII family: Halogens
• Greenish-yellow corrosive gas
• Most reactive nonmetal element
• used to prevent cavities
• Used in the manufacturing of teflon
• Used with carbon and chlorine(CFC)to make pesticides, solvents and coslants

Chlorine

• Location: group 2A Family: halogens
• One of the most common weapons in the gas warfare in WWI
• Used in pools and water as purifying agent
• Used as a bleaching agent

Bromine

• Location: group 2A Family: halogens
• Named for Greek 'bromos' meaning stench
• Reddish brown Liquid at room temperature
• Used in dyes, disenfectants, and photographic chemicals

Iodine

• Location: group 2A Family: halogens
• Shiny black solid at room temperature
• Undergoes sublimation, producing a violet colored gas
• Needed by the human thyroid gland
• Obtained from seaweed which extracts and concentrates the iodine from seawater

Asatine

• Location: group 2A Family: halogens
• Named from Greek 'astates'-unstable
• All isotopes are radioactive
• Synthesized in 1940

Noble Gases

• Location: group VIII
• Never found combined in compounds in nature
• Unreactive(inert)
• Have filled outer energy level of electrons
• Provides an inert atmosphere for welding and metal cutting

Helium

• Location: group VIII Family:Noble Gases
• Name taken from Greek 'helios' sun
• Only element that cannot be converted to a solid by lowering its temperature
• Used in blimps and toy balloons
• 2nd most abundant element in the universe
• Used in diveing tanks
• Coldest liquid refrigerent available-used to cool superconducting magnets in MRI

Argon

• Location: group VIII Family:Noble Gases
• Name from Greek 'Argos' meaning inactive
• Produces a violet glow when in a tube subjected to an electric arc
• Used for fill in incandescent lightbulbs, replaces the oxygen bearing air that can corrode the filament
• Used in geological dating(Potassium-argon dating) comparing the amount of K-40 and Ar-40

Krypton

• Location:group VIII Family:Noble Gases
• Named from the Greek 'kryptos' meaning hidden
• Used as filler gas for incandescent bulbs
• Used in the flashing lamps that outline airport runways
• Radioactive isotopes are manmade products of nuclear power plants
• Kr-85: used for industrial thickness gauges and leak testing instruments
• Kr-86: Basis for international definitions of the meter

Xenon

• Location: group VIII Family:Noble Gases
• Name taken from the greek 'xenos' meaning strange
• used in strobe lights-electrical exitment causes it to produse a burst of brilliant white light
• Readily soluble in blood, acts as an inhalation anesthetic

Radon

• Location: group VIII Family: Noble Gases
• Only gas that is naturally radioactive
• Heaviest of all gases
• As a solid, it glows with a yellow light
• is a potential health hazard, can seep into the air of basementsor houses: can cause lung cancer

metalloids

• Location: along staircase line
• have characteristics of both metals and non-metals

Boron

• Loacation: metalloids
• hard, brittle, lustrious, black
• at room temperature is an electrical insulator but becomes a conductor at high temperatures
• used in bullet proof vest
• common compounds:

  a)boric acid- antiseptic/roach poison/ preservative

  b)borax-cleaning agent/water softener

Silicon

• Location: metalloids
• Name taken from latin for flint
• second most abundant element in the earths crust
• common compounds:

  a)SiOs-sand

  b)SiCl4-used by military for generating smokescreens

  c)computer chips/ solar cells

Germanium

• Location: metalloids
• Grayish white metal
• Used in the manufacture of electronic semiconductor devices

Arsenic

• Location: metalloids
• Name from latin and greek words for yellow pigment
• Used as a weed killer and rat poison
• Use to be popular poison used in homocides,ingested overtime symptoms mimic pneumonia(can be detected now)
• Tiny amounts of Arsenic added to Gallium produce LED lights
• Added to lead to make it harder and more easily spherical for lead shot

Antimony

• Location: metalloid
• Chemical symbol taken from the name of the mineral stilmate, most common source of antimony
• Alloyed with other metals to increase their hardness
• In biblical times it was used as a popular black eye paint for women of wealth and power
• Small amounts found in few cold and flu remedies

Tellurium

• Location: metalloid
• Name taken from latin for earth
• Alloyed with copper and stainless steal to increase machinability of these substances
• Basic ingredient in the manufacture of blasting caps

Selenium

• Location: metalloids
• Named from Greek for moon
• The conductivity can in crease up to a thousand fold when taken from darkness to bright light
• Commonlyused in robotic sensors and xerography machines

Nitrogen

• Location:right of stair case Family:Non-metal
• Name means "soda for ming"
• Composes 80% of the air
• Uses:

  a)explosives(nitrates)

  b)ammonia cleaners(NH3)

  c)rocket fuel

Carbon

• Location:right of stair case Family:Non-metals
• Forms are charcoal,coal, soot, diamond and graphite
• Uses:

  a)pressed powder carbon, makes dry cell battery rods

  b)graphite(slick)-lubricant,"lead"

  c)diamonds-jewlery, drill bits

• Compounds:

  a)CO-poisinous

  b)CCl4-dry cleaning agent

  c)CFCL-freon;refrigerant

• Isotope C-14 used in fossile dating

Oxygen

• Location: right of stair case Family:Non-metals
• Vital to sustain life
• Third most abundant element in universe
• Composes approximately 20% of air
• Reacts with almost every other element
• Two main forms- O2 and O3(ozone)

Phosphorus

• Location: right of stair case Family:Non-metals
• Name means "bringer of light"
• Most noted for:

  a)phosphorescence

  b)fireworks

  c)fertalizers(phosphates)

• White allotrope(different forms) used for safety matches
• Phospheric acid (H3PO4)found in solvents and soft drinks
• Most commonly a white waxy sollid, but also exist in a red allotrope

Sulfur

• Location:right of the stair case Family:Non-metals
• Light yellow, brittle solid
• Used mainly to produce sulfuric acid, H2SO4

  a)H2SO4 uses- fertalizers, car batteries, dyes, insecticides

  *H2SO4 does not corrode steal as much as it does other metals, so it is easily transported

• Compounds:

  H2S;rotten egg smell

  SO2;infectants and bleaching agent