Every element is interesting!

If you have seen this, this and this, then you have found the most boring integer (upto 300).

Similarly , we now , would find the most boring element in the modern periodic table.

The point of this note is to list out an interesting property for each element of periodic table. Reply to the largest atomic number (N) element, and state why atomic number (N+1) element is interesting in 30 words or less.

Rules:
1. Scroll to the bottom of this note to see the next element to add
2. Start your reply with "(Element name)(Atomic number=N) is ...".
3. Make sure you use 30 words or less.(Excluding element name and atomic number)
4. Do not reply out of sequence.
5. Do not reply to your own comment.

So let's start and find which is the most boring element!

#Chemistry

Note by Nihar Mahajan
5 years, 10 months ago

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1 vote

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Comments

Wow, it's going to have to get up to the Lanthanide or Actinide series before we finally find a "boring" element. Okay, let's get started. But why "14 words"? Let's be a little more generous, maybe 20 or 30 words, so that we can learn of more interesting properties of elements, the attributes that make them unique? This is especially true of the heavier metals.

Michael Mendrin - 5 years, 10 months ago

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okay , I extend the word limit.

Nihar Mahajan - 5 years, 10 months ago

Silicon (14) can be obtained from mere sand but when processed can help me type this

A Former Brilliant Member - 5 years, 10 months ago

Hydrogen (H,1) is the lightest element in the periodic table.

Nihar Mahajan - 5 years, 10 months ago

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Helium (He, 2) is the lightest noble gas and 2nd most abundant element in the universe. It will stay liquid at absolute zero temperature under normal pressures, unlike any other element.

Michael Mendrin - 5 years, 10 months ago

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Lithium (Li,3) , is the lightest metal and the least dense solid element under standard conditions.

Nihar Mahajan - 5 years, 10 months ago

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@Nihar Mahajan Beryllium (Be, 4) is the only mono-isotopic element with an even number of protons. Its extreme flexural rigidity and thermal stability makes it ideal for mirrors for the James Webb Space Telescope.

Michael Mendrin - 5 years, 10 months ago

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@Michael Mendrin Boron (B,5) is the smallest atomic numbered element which is a metalloid.

Because boron is produced entirely by cosmic ray spallation and not by stellar nucleosynthesis it is a low-abundance element in both the Solar system and the Earth's crust.

(Need to sleep now , will continue tomorrow :))

Nihar Mahajan - 5 years, 10 months ago

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@Nihar Mahajan Carbon (C,6) the forth most abundant element in the universe (by mass), has the highest melting point of any element, at a blue-hot 6522°F6522° F , and sublimates at normal atmospheric pressure. Liquid molten carbon can exist only in pressures greater than 100 atm.

Michael Mendrin - 5 years, 10 months ago

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@Michael Mendrin Nitrogen(N,7) is the most abundant gas in the earth's atmosphere.

Aditya Chauhan - 5 years, 10 months ago

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@Aditya Chauhan Oxygen (0,8) was the toxic byproduct of cyanobacteria, causing the Great Oxygen Catastrophe of 2.3 billion years ago, wiping out most all obligtate anaerobic organisms and rusting out all the free iron in the crust. The world was never the same again. Today, all mined iron is rusted iron from that era.

Michael Mendrin - 5 years, 10 months ago

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@Michael Mendrin Fluorine (F,9) is the most electronegative and most reactive element in the periodic table. Fluorine is also the lighest halogen in the periodic table.

Aditya Chauhan - 5 years, 10 months ago

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@Aditya Chauhan Neon(Ne-10) it is the second lightest Nobel gas and though it is very common in the universe it is very rare on earth as it is highly volatile

Jahnvi Verma - 5 years, 10 months ago

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@Jahnvi Verma @Aditya Chauhan @Jahnvi Verma Please mention the atomic number too :)

Sodium (Na,11) is the sixth most abundant element in the Earth's crust, and exists in numerous minerals such as feldspars, sodalite and rock salt (NaCl)

Nihar Mahajan - 5 years, 10 months ago

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@Nihar Mahajan Magnesium(Mg,12) has both the lowest melting and the lowest boiling points of any of the alkali earth metals, at 923 K and 1,363 K.

Aditya Chauhan - 5 years, 10 months ago

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@Aditya Chauhan Aluminium(Al,13) is the third most abundant element (after oxygen and silicon), and the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust. It makes up about 8% by weight of the crust, though it is less common in the mantle below.

Nihar Mahajan - 5 years, 10 months ago

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@Nihar Mahajan Silicon (Si, 14) is the second most abundant element in the Earth's crust, after Oxygen (0,8), together which makes up most of the bulk of continents. Like ice and water, solid Silicon floats in molten Silicon. It is because of its property to form granitic solids of lighter density than molten is the reason why continents have formed, which floats.

Michael Mendrin - 5 years, 10 months ago

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@Michael Mendrin Phosphorus (P,15) The first form of elemental phosphorus to be produced (white phosphorus, in 1669) emits a faint glow upon exposure to oxygen and is referred as the "Morning Star", the planet Venus (or Mercury)

Nihar Mahajan - 5 years, 10 months ago

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@Nihar Mahajan Sulfur (S,16) has a number of allotropes second only to carbon. Consequently, it has a particularly complex phase diagram. It shares with carbon the ability to catenate (forming chains by binding to itself), making possible complex molecules and polymers, even though it is in the same family as Oxygen.

Michael Mendrin - 5 years, 10 months ago

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@Michael Mendrin Chlorine (Cl,17)has the highest electron affinity and the third highest electronegativity of all the reactive elements. For this reason, chlorine is a strong oxidizing agent. Free chlorine is rare on Earth, and is usually a result of direct or indirect oxidation by oxygen.

Nihar Mahajan - 5 years, 10 months ago

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@Nihar Mahajan Argon (Ar, 18) is the third most common gas and the most common noble gas in the Earth's atmosphere. For this reason, Argon, extracted from the air by cyrogenic air separation, is the most commonly used inert gas commercially, particularly for welding. Even though Argon is a noble gas, argon flourohydride (HArF) molecules have been synthesized in the laboratory.

Michael Mendrin - 5 years, 10 months ago

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@Michael Mendrin Potassium(19,0) is the second least dense metal after lithium. It is formed in supernovas by nucleosynthesis from lighter atoms.

Aditya Chauhan - 5 years, 10 months ago

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@Aditya Chauhan Calcium (Ca,20) is the fifth most abundant material by mass in the Earth's crust. Besides being an essential element in living organisms, calcium in oxide form (CaO) is the primary ingredient in lime, which itself is the primary ingredient in plasters. When reacted with silicates, particularly light metal silicates, it is the cement that makes concrete, which was used in many ancient structures. Ancient Romans were especially adept in the widespread use of concrete, including for underwater structures in sea ports.

Michael Mendrin - 5 years, 10 months ago

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@Michael Mendrin Scandium (Sc,21) is a transition metal with lowest atomic number.Scandium is only the 50th most common element on Earth (35th most abundant in the crust), but it is the 23rd most common element in the Sun.

Nihar Mahajan - 5 years, 10 months ago

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@Nihar Mahajan Titanium (Ti,22) is the only element that burns in nitrogen. As a metal alloy, it has superior properties that finds widespread use in the aerospace industy, as not only titanium has the highest strength-to-density ratio of any metallic element, it has high temperature and corrosion resistance. It is the 9th most abundant element in the crust, but difficult to extract.

Science question: If titanium burns in nitrogen, why is it sought after as a metal alloy for supersonic aircraft?

Michael Mendrin - 5 years, 10 months ago

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@Michael Mendrin Sorry for the delay , I was busy last week.

Vanadium (V,23) Particularly in the ocean, vanadium is used by some life forms as an active center of enzymes, such as the vanadium bromoperoxidase of some ocean algae.

Nihar Mahajan - 5 years, 10 months ago

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@Nihar Mahajan Chromium (Cr, 24) is the only solid element that has antiferromagnetic ordering at room temperature and colder. Because of the thin, tough properties of the spinel structure formed by passivation through environmental oxidization, chromium has found widespread use in plating and stainless steel alloys. Its physical and chemical properties make it one of the most versatile elements in commercial and laboratory use.

Michael Mendrin - 5 years, 10 months ago

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@Michael Mendrin Manganese (Mn,25) Manganese phosphating is used as a treatment for rust and corrosion prevention on steel.In biology, manganese(II) ions function as cofactors for a large variety of enzymes with many functions.

@Brian Charlesworth Join us! :)

Nihar Mahajan - 5 years, 9 months ago

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@Nihar Mahajan Iron(Fe,26) is by mass the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. Iron plays an important role in biology, forming complexes with molecular oxygen in hemoglobin and myoglobin which are proteins that transport oxygen.

Aditya Chauhan - 5 years, 9 months ago

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@Aditya Chauhan Iron indicates stellar death, i.,e. it's bad news for a typical star. Stars have a tendency to really explode once stellar nucleosynthesis reaches formation of iron nuclei.

Cobalt (Co,27) primarily comes from supernovas (as described above), commonly co-occurring with Nickel (Ni,28), particularly in meteorites. It is an essential element in Vitamin B-12, which itself is essential in functioning of the brain and nervous system, without which we probably wouldn't be having this conversation.

Michael Mendrin - 5 years, 9 months ago

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@Michael Mendrin Nickel (Ni,28) is one of four elements that are ferromagnetic around room temperature.The metal is chiefly valuable in the modern world for the alloys it forms; about 60% of world production is used in nickel-steels (particularly stainless steel).As a compound, nickel has a number of niche chemical manufacturing uses, such as a catalyst for hydrogenation.

Nihar Mahajan - 5 years, 9 months ago

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@Nihar Mahajan Copper(29) is one of the few metals that can be found in its native form and therefore was one of the first metals used by ancient people.

Shobhit Singh - 5 years, 9 months ago

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@Shobhit Singh Zinc(30) may be the only known cure for the common cold — sort of. According to the NIH, medical studies have found that if zinc lozenges or spray are used within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms, the length of a cold is reduced.

Shobhit Singh - 5 years, 9 months ago

@Nihar Mahajan the body of the 1921 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost was made of solid copper

Shobhit Singh - 5 years, 9 months ago

Lithium (Li, 3) is the lightest metal and it floats on water!

However, we can't make a boat out of water, because the mater reacts to give us 2Li+2HX2O2LiOH+HX2 \ce{2Li + 2H2O -> 2LiOH + H2 }

Calvin Lin Staff - 5 years, 10 months ago

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@Calvin Lin Apparently, Lithium reacts with Boeing 787 Dreamliners as well, setting them on fire.

Michael Mendrin - 5 years, 10 months ago

Ununoctium has the highest atomic number, it's used in research labs for conducting experiments. It's not used for other purpose. I find it most boring. I've edited it .

Anish Harsha - 5 years, 10 months ago

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Don't go out of sequence. Please read the rules again. Thanks.

Nihar Mahajan - 5 years, 10 months ago

Carbon (C,6) Found Everywhere and takes one whole part of Chemistry

Rigveda Gupta - 10 months, 3 weeks ago
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