![]() ![]() Also known for its density, malleability, and toxicity. Lead In batteries, stained glass, and old paint but not in pencils, as some might lead you to believe. Most carbonated drinks, however, report having very low levels of this element-which seems so dumb when you think about it. Sodium Naturally, this most abundant alkali metal is used in soaps, glass and pretzels. It is famous for its yellow paint pigment, but it is very toxic and is one of the many poisons found in cigarette smoke. Cadmium This close relative of Zn is used with nickel to make Nicad rechargeable batteries. Gold HEY YOU! Come back here with my first place medal! This king is so malleable that a single ounce can be beaten out into a 300 ft squared sheet 1,000 times thinner than paper, and so inert that jewelry dating back to ancient times still looks as good as new. Tin Snips can cut this metal into tiny pieces, used for solders (and soldiers), and coated onto steel cans (for beans, tennis balls, etc.) to prevent corrosion. Argon A rather inactive gas, this royal family member makes up nearly 1% of our atmosphere, it is used as the inert gas in lightbulbs (when N & O are gone, the filament lasts a lot longer!) Boron Hamlet's soliloquy pondered whether or not this metalloid was diatomic! The nitride of this element can be as hard as diamond, and can be used for drill bits (talk about boring!). Originally, chemists tested for this element by its sweet taste, but its high toxicity makes this not such a brilliant idea! Nickel Used in nichorme wire, alnico magenets, stainless steel barnacle scrapers(!), and as a catalyst for hydrogenating vegetable oil-the kind you might buy at the local five and dime. Bismuth Why is this metal used in magnets, low melting alloys, & pink antidiarrheal medication? I make it my business to know! Bromine This halogen is a liquid at room temperature, and though its symbol may remind you of the cold, its compounds serve as flameproofing agents! Calcium Dairy farmers see milking machines as quick extractors of this alkaline earth metal, but I bet the cows see them differently! Astatine Nothing is as effective as stating the obvious, but with less than one ounce of this halogen existing on the Earth, this element isn't really where it's at! Beryllium Being a light weight with a high melting point, this group II metal is an ideal hardening agent in alloys. ![]() Selenium The black form of this nonmetal conducts electricity better when light is shined upon it, so it is used in Xerox toner, thus without this element you can cancel any immediate plans to photocopy this page! Manganese Man can easily survive (and so can woman) without Ag or Au, but take away this trace dietary mineral and you are in eminent risk of a vitamin B deficiency! Iridium Irredeemably the most corrosion resistant, #77 was alloyed with Pt to make the standard meter bar of Paris. Uranium Ubiquitous and unusual, named after the 7th rock from the sun, one lb of this nuclear fuel source is equivalent to 1500 tons of coal, you have to respect that. Cobalt This transition metal is especially know for the deep blue color its salts produce when added to glass and ceramics (as produced by the Goblin Porcelain CO., Baltimore, MD, for example). Phosphorus Discovered in 1669 by Brandt who prepared it from urine (but that's not how it got its symbol!) This non-metal is used in matches, fertilizers and detergents. ![]() Oxygen To metals and non-metals alike, this element bonds like-epoxy generally in a very exothermic manner ( in other words, it makes things burn), but, oh, what trouble we would be in without these atoms, (both the pairs down here and the trios up there). The most abundant and important metal on Earth, it's in our blood to treasure it. Iron Some might consider it ironic that the same metal that's used in car bodies and Ferris wheels is also used to fortify our breakfast cereal. ![]()
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