Category Chemistry

            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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

             Sometimes naming an element is difficult and the discoverer would name it after the place where it was discovered. Our next element is an example. The name scandium comes from the Latin word ‘Scandia’, which stands for Scandinavia, a region in Northern Europe. The element was named after its first discovery in this region; and not many places outside the Scandinavian Peninsula have deposits of this element.

             Scandium is a fairly rare element. It is the 50th most common element in the Earth, and is generally found in small amounts in minerals. The element is very expensive due to its rarity.

             It is a light metal. Scandium is used in baseball bats because the element increases the bat’s striking power. It is also used in the manufacture of bright lights. Stadiums, sporting events, and movie production units make use of these lights. However, its cost is a discouraging factor and hence its popularity has severely suffered.

            It is Lars Fredrik Nelson, a Swedish chemist, who discovered scandium in 1879. 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 number of this element is 21, and the symbol is Sc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pictures credit: google

             Imagine humans and animals without bones and teeth! The thing that makes us walk, stand, sit and do anything with our body is this skeletal structure. Calcium is the element essentially necessary for the health of both our teeth and bones.

             Calcium regulates the electricity that passes through the nervous system, and helps muscle contractions in the body. This element plays a vital role in causing contractions in the heart. Ninety-nine per cent of the calcium in our body is accommodated in our teeth and bones. It is the most abundant metallic element in the human body. And thus, calcium assumes great importance in our body.

            The human race has used calcium for thousands of years. Cornish chemist Sir Humphry Davy successfully isolated this silver-coloured metal for the first time in 1808. Calcium is soft, and is always found combined with other elements in nature. It is found in many rocks such as limestone, chalk, and marble. Calcium is also found in minerals such as gypsum and fluorite.

            Calcium compounds are used in the manufacture of cement, glass, lime, bricks, and paint, and as a reduction agent in the preparation of other metals.

            Its atomic number is 20, and the symbol is Ca.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pictures credit: google