Category Elements

                A magnet attracts or repels other metals. Cobalt is magnetic; in fact, it is one of a handful of elements which are naturally magnetic. Cobalt maintains its magnetism, even at high temperatures.

               Cobalt resembles iron and nickel. In its pure form, it has a silvery blue colour. It is a brittle metal. It is generally found on Earth in its chemically combined forms.

               Georg Brandt, a Swedish chemist is recognized for isolating cobalt in 1735. However, even before its formal discovery, the metal has been in use throughout history. Pigments of cobalt, especially cobalt blue, have been used by painters for thousands of years. Researchers say that the use of cobalt as a colouring agent dates back to as far back as the Bronze Age.

               The ancient Egyptians made use of this element in their art and jewellery. The discovery of the metal in the ruins of Pompeii, an ancient city of Rome, has great archaeological significance too. Cobalt is also used in the medical field. A manmade isotope of the element, Cobalt-60 is commonly used in cancer treatments.

               Its atomic number is 27, and the symbol is Co.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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              Yes, we are living on a huge mass of iron, the Earth! In fact, the centre of the Earth is almost all iron. The surface of the earth is also rich in this element. Due to its abundance, the metal is used widely for a host of utilities. From steel in the hulls of ships, and cast iron in pipes, to stainless steel in cutlery and wrought iron in gates, this element is the main ingredient contained in most objects you see and use every day.

              Iron is a heavy metal. At the same time, it is pliable too. Grayish in appearance, it is the most used of all elements, 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 essential to our blood. Through blood vessels, iron atoms carry oxygen from lungs to our heart and brain. They also take carbon dioxide back to our lungs to be blown out. Iron is stored in our blood cells, liver and other tissues. Its atomic number is 26, and the symbol is Fe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            The name of the element manganese comes from the Latin word, ‘magnes’, which means magnet. However, do not think that manganese is magnetic as its name suggests. The name, in fact, derives from its compounds, which are used in the manufacture of glass.

            Manganese has been in use from ancient times. Researchers have found pigments of manganese in cave paintings dating from the Stone Age. Many alloys of manganese are in use today, especially in the manufacture of steel and glass.

           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 minerals that contain iron. It is the 12th 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.

           Manganese in it pure form is a reactive element. It burns in the presence of oxygen, and rusts when it comes in contact with water. It is silvery white in colour, and looks like iron.

           Manganese is an important nutrient for humans and animals, as it helps metabolic functions. Its atomic number is 25, and the symbol is Mn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

               Have you heard of the terracotta army of the Qin dynasty? It is a large collection of terracotta sculptures prepared to be buried along with the Chinese emperor when he died in the 3rd century BC. He would be protected by them in his after-life, they thought!

               Now, what should interest us are not the sculptures themselves, but the presence of an element which the modern world came to know about only in the late 18th century, namely chromium. The weapons of this army were tipped with chromium oxide so that they stayed without rusting for millennia! Chromium was primarily used to produce some highly sought after pigments of red and yellow.

               The precious ruby stone gets its natural red colour from chromium. Chromium has a silvery, shiny appearance, and is a favourite substance to coat cars, and other appliances to protect them from corrosion and to improve their looks.

               Chromium is generally found in its ores. It is rarely found in its pure form in nature. The most common ore from which chromium is extracted is chromite. Some forms of chromium are non-toxic. However, chromium (VI) is carcinogenic. The discoverer of chromium is Nicolas L. Vauquelin, who achieved the feat in 1797.

               Its atomic number is 24 and the atomic symbol is Cr.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

               You may know that steel, an alloy of iron and carbon, is synonymous with strength. Can it be stronger? Adding various elements to steel will have varying effects on the alloy. Vanadium, a silvery grey metal, increases the hardness of steel.

               Vanadium is not usually found as a free element in nature. A wide variety of minerals in the Earth’s crust contain vanadium. Some minerals containing vanadium are vanadinite, carnotite, and magnetite. The majority of vanadium is procured from magnetite. It is in South Africa, Russia, and China that most of the vanadium is mined.

               The majority of vanadium used in industry is as an alloying element to add strength to steel. Vanadium steel is usually used in the manufacture of materials that need to be strong but light-weight, such as automobile parts.

               The element was first isolated by Sir Henry E. Roscoe, an English chemist, in 1867. However, the element was given the name by Nils Sefstrom, a Swedish chemist. Vanadium gets its name from the Scandinavian goddess of beauty, ‘Vanadis’. Its atomic number is 23, and the symbol is V.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

             The Cold War period was a time when nations such as the US and the USSR were scrambling for arms and weapons. Both these nations were stock-pilling an element called titanium, because they found it extremely useful for military and defence equipment. The strategic importance of the metal made it a much sought after substance.

             The element is named after the ‘Titans’ of Greek mythology. Titans, the mythical divine sons of the sky god Uranus and the Earth goddess Gaia, were strong and powerful rulers. Titanium is stronger than steel, but much lighter. So, it is widely used for making aircraft engines, ships, and artificial joints. Using titanium plates for supporting fractured bones is prevalent today.

              It was named by Martin Heinrich Klaproth, a German chemist, although the element was discovered by William Gregor, a British mineralogist, in 1791. Titanium is present in many minerals. It is generally found in rocks, and most bodies of water. The most common compound of titanium is titanium dioxide. Titanium is found in all living beings too.

             Titanium makes up less than one percent of the Earth’s crust. It is also the ninth most abundant metal on the Earth’s crust. Its atomic number is 22, and the symbol is Ti.