Just Love Chemistry

Cute chemistry cartoons from www.justlovechemistry.com

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Hydrogen: Watching the World Burn

NOW AVAILABLE: Stickers (click here), mugs (click here), t-shirts (click here) and bags (click here) of this hydrogen cartoon character!

Hydrogen is a tiny, colourless gas. It’s the smallest element on the periodic table! Hydrogen is so abundant that it accounts for 3/4 of the mass of the universe.  

Watch out, because hydrogen can be deadly. People used to fill airships with hydrogen to make them float. It seemed like a perfect idea because hydrogen is super light and affordable. Unfortunately, it turned out that hydrogen is incredibly flammable. This lead to the Hindenburg disaster: the hydrogen in the German passenger airship caught fire. From this it became obvious that using hydrogen to fly is pretty dangerous. So don’t freak out the next time you ride a hot air balloon; it isn’t full of flammable hydrogen (anymore).

So, have we stopped using hydrogen in practical applications? No, hydrogen is making a comeback! Don’t worry, we aren’t filling up our airplanes with hydrogen gas. Scientists are working on hydrogen fuel cells, a very promising, clean source of electricity.

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Just Love Chemistry turned 2 years old today! Thank you for all of your support!

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Iron: The Most Iron-ic Element

For more cute chemistry cartoons, visit www.justlovechemistry.com Atomic number: 26 Atomic weight: 55.845 amu Classification: Transition metal

Ironically (and you're welcome for that terrible chemistry pun), iron is the most important transition metal. To put it into perspective how important iron is, 90% of ALL refined metal is iron. Yet, iron is a very flawed metal; it rusts easily because iron oxidizes too easily when it is exposed to air or water. In other words, if you leave iron literally anywhere, it will rust.

Iron is a major part of steel (steel = iron + carbon + tiny bits of a bunch of other metals). There are many different types of steel that have specific uses. Some are used to build bridges, while stainless steel is used to make jewelry.

An iron catalyst is used to speed up the haber process, one of the most important industrial reactions in the world that produces ammonia. Why is the haber process so important, you ask? It’s what feeds most of the world; ammonia is crucial for creating fertilizer to speed up the growth of crops.

Iron is nontoxic and important to life. Humans have iron in hemoglobin, which is a fancy name for stuff in your blood in charge of delivering oxygen from the lung to the cells. If you (for some mysterious reason) eat your own blood, you will taste something vaguely metallic; that’s the iron in your hemoglobin.

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Titanium: Flying Titans For more cute chemistry cartoons, visit www.justlovechemistry.com

Atomic number: 22 Atomic weight: 47.867 amu Classification: Transition metal

Listen to the song Titanium by David Guetta while reading this article for the best experience.

As you can tell, titanium has been advertised in the media as an extremely strong, hard metal. And guess what? Titanium IS a strong, hard metal (surprise, surprise). I mean, it’s named after titans, so no wonder. You don’t expect a wimpy element to be named after mythical creatures capable of fighting Greek gods.

Titanium is strong as steel but not terribly dense, which makes it light and strong at the same time. It is great at withstanding high temperatures. Light + strong + resistant to high temperatures = perfect for anything that needs to fly in the air. That’s why titanium is used often to create parts for spacecraft, missiles, and airplanes.

Titanium does not corrode in seawater, so it is often used to coat ships and submarines as a protective layer.

Titanium is non allergenic, so it is often used in body piercings, joint replacements, and tooth implants. Next time you get a piercing, ask for one made of titanium (it’ll be pretty pricey, though).

Titanium (IV) oxide is used in paints. This is actually the most common use of titanium. Ironic that the most common use of such a mighty element is paint, huh?

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Manganese: The Mad Hatter’s Favorite Meal

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Atomic Number: 25 Atomic Weight: 54.9380 amu Classification: Transition metal

Manganese is a silver colored, brittle metal that is way too brittle to be used by itself, so it’s usually mixed with other metals to create alloys that have enhanced qualities. Some of these alloys include:

-Manganese steel (13% manganese)  is used to create railway tracks and prison bars. If you commit a crime, manganese will lock you in.

-Aluminum alloy (1.5% manganese) is incredibly resistant to corrosion. Most drink cans are made of this alloy.

Manganese has multiple oxidation states, each with different colors: pink, black, green, and purple.

Be careful, though. Manganese is an element that can turn you mad…literally. Manganese madness is a psychiatric conditions that causes hallucinations due to the consumption of too much manganese. It has some correlations with Parkinson’s disease too. Be careful not to stuff your face with manganese.

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Chromium: Chromatic Colors

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Atomic number: 24 Atomic weight: 51.996 amu Classification: Transition metal

The name “chromium” comes from the Greek word chroma, which means color. Quite fittingly, depending on the oxidation state (in other words, different ions of chromium), chromium can assume a range of different colors: red, green, orange, and yellow.

Chromium is almost completely resistant to corrosion, so it’s used as plating to prevent steel surfaces from rusting. Chromium is the stuff that makes stainless steel stainless; before chromium, it’s just plain steel.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that due to its colorful nature, compounds of chromium are used in various pigments.

Traces of chromium are in food. It helps people use glucose properly. You don’t need to take chromium supplements though; you only need around 1 mg of chromium a day.

A side note to all the ladies who love their rubies: chromium is what makes rubies red.

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Vanadium: Goddess of Beauty

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Atomic number: 23 Atomic weight: 50.9415 amu Classification: Transition Metal

Vanadium is named after Vanadis, the Scandinavian goddess of beauty and love. It’s quite the flattering name. You can tell that someone had a real bias for vanadium. The reason vanadium has such a name is that its ions have a range of brilliant colors. Different solutions of vanadium can be yellow, blue, green, and purple.

Vanadium compounds are also used as catalysts (substances that are used to speed up chemical reactions), especially in the contact process. The contact process is a very important industrial reaction that is used to create sulphuric acid.

The most common use of vanadium is vanadium-steel alloys (80% of all vanadium produced is used here), which are used to create parts of cars, armor plates, and various tools.

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Titanium: Flying Titans For more cute chemistry cartoons, visit www.justlovechemistry.com

Atomic number: 22 Atomic weight: 47.867 amu Classification: Transition metal

Listen to the song Titanium by David Guetta while reading this article for the best experience.

As you can tell, titanium has been advertised in the media as an extremely strong, hard metal. And guess what? Titanium IS a strong, hard metal (surprise, surprise). I mean, it’s named after titans, so no wonder. You don’t expect a wimpy element to be named after mythical creatures capable of fighting Greek gods.

Titanium is strong as steel but not terribly dense, which makes it light and strong at the same time. It is great at withstanding high temperatures. Light + strong + resistant to high temperatures = perfect for anything that needs to fly in the air. That’s why titanium is used often to create parts for spacecraft, missiles, and airplanes.

Titanium does not corrode in seawater, so it is often used to coat ships and submarines as a protective layer.

Titanium is non allergenic, so it is often used in body piercings, joint replacements, and tooth implants. Next time you get a piercing, ask for one made of titanium (it’ll be pretty pricey, though).

Titanium (IV) oxide is used in paints. This is actually the most common use of titanium. Ironic that the most common use of such a mighty element is paint, huh?

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Silicon: The King of Electronics

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Atomic number: 14 Atomic weight: 28.0855 amu Classification: Metalloid

Silicon is the most widely used semiconductor. A semiconductor is a material that won’t ALWAYS conduct electricity, but it won’t ALWAYS block the flow of electricity either. So a semiconductor is something in between a conductor (which always conducts electricity) and an insulator (which always blocks electricity). Tech people love semiconductors because they can adjust certain conditions to control when a semiconductor conducts or does not conduct electricity.

Semiconductors are very important in electronic devices, especially computers. It’s so important that the hub of technological innovation is named after the element: Silicon Valley.

Silicone oil is a lubricant added to make-up and hair conditioners, while silicone rubber is the waterproof sealant you see in between the tiles in your bathroom. Sand and clay have lots of silicon, and both materials are used to make concrete and cement. Sand is the main material for glass.

Silicon is essential to plants. Phytoliths (a fancy name for silica particles) form in living plants. Even after the plant dies they don’t rot. Thus when the plants form fossils, the phytoliths remain, and are used by scientists to study ancient life.

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Magnesium: Flammable Cars?

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Atomic number: 12 Atomic weight: 24.305 amu Classification: Alkaline Earth Metal

Magnesium is can be a dangerously flammable metal; a piece of magnesium ribbon will catch on fire with a small match, and magnesium powder is explosive. Since small bits of magnesium burn very intensely, the metal is often used in flashbulbs and fireworks. Thankfully, larger chunks of magnesium don’t catch on fire easily, and are  used in racing cars, airplanes, and even bicycles. Don’t worry; it’s very unlikely that your bicycle wheels will catch on fire unless you literally ride into a fire pit. By the time you’re in the middle of a fire pit, it doesn’t matter much what your bike is made of anyway.

Other than possibly catching on fire, magnesium is great for practical applications because it is affordable, light, strong, and easy to work with.

On a different note, magnesium is used to address your bathroom struggles. When you consume a laxative to ease your constipation, make sure to thank magnesium.

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Boron: Boron Is Not a Bore

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Atomic number: 5 Atomic weight: 10.811 amu Classification: Metalloid

Boron is an important mineral for plants because it helps form plant cell walls. Fittingly, boron compounds release a pleasant green hue when excited, so they are used to make green fireworks and flares. The next time you see a green firework in the sky, thank boron for its contribution.

Boric oxide is used to make borosilicate glass. The addition of boron makes the glass tougher and more heat resistant.

Since boron carbide is one of the hardest substances known to man, bits of it can be poured into an engine to destroy it permanently.

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Beryllium: Into the Sky

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Atomic number: 4 Atomic weight: 9.0122 amu Classification: Alkali Earth Metal

Don’t dismiss beryllium for being a small element, because it’s known to be very hardy. It does not melt unless it is subjected to ridiculously high temperatures, and is incredibly resistant to corrosion. So why don’t we use beryllium for everything? Well, it’s expensive and poisonous, which makes it impractical and dangerous respectively.

Beryllium is used to create fancy things that people don’t mind throwing wads of cash at, particularly missiles. When you’re making a missile, it is crucial to use a material that is light, strong, and resistant to high temperatures. The cost and poisonous nature of the material isn’t too big of a drawback when you’re making projectile weapons.

Don’t stuff your face with beryllium because inhaling too much of it will cause berylliosis, a disease that inflames the lungs and consequently leads to lung cancer.

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Aluminum: In the Sky and In Your Kitchen

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Atomic number: 13 Atomic weight: 26.982 amu Classification: Metal

Aluminum is light and strong, so it is used to make aircraft parts. Even better, aluminum is affordable, so you can find products made of aluminum in your kitchen in the form of cans and aluminum foil (hence, the name). So you can encounter aluminum in the sky and in your kitchen. Weird, eh?

Aluminum does not rust, unlike iron. The reason aluminum does not rust because it forms a layer of corundum upon reacting with the air, which is a very hard and opaque substance. This corundum is harder than the actual metal itself, and it actually protects the aluminum from further damage. So aluminum literally creates a shield over time to protect itself. In contrast, iron forms a layer of red, flaky substance that falls off.

Aluminum is used to purify water. This is super important because if your tap water isn’t purified properly, it can be poisonous. Your hair may turn green if you wash yourself with tap water that isn’t purified properly, and in the worst case scenario you may get a brain disorder.

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Helium: Floating Nobility

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Atomic number: 2 Atomic weight: 4.003 amu Classification: Noble gas

Helium is a colorless, odorless gas named after Helios, the Greek God of the sun. This is because helium was discovered due to mysterious lines in the emission spectrum of sunlight. Why did we discover helium only after observing space, when it’s such a common element here on earth? It’s because helium is a noble gas that reacts with virtually nothing. Scientists just didn’t notice it. Poor helium didn’t have much of a presence.

Helium is very light, so it is used to fill floating things like balloons and airships. It replaced hydrogen because, although hydrogen is technically lighter, it is catches on fire easily. In contrast, helium is a noble gas that is too lazy to react with other elements. You wouldn’t want to ride an air balloon that might explode (read: Hindenburg disaster).

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Fluorine: Feisty Teflon For more cute chemistry cartoons, visit www.justlovechemistry.com

Atomic number: 9 Atomic weight: 18.998 amu Classification: Halogen Fluorine is a pale yellow-green gas and indisputably the most reactive element on the periodic table! The most publicly known use of fluorine is Teflon. The fancy scientific name of Teflon is polytetrafluoroethene (what?), or PTFE (…what?). PTFE is the stuff coated on frying pans so that the eggs you’re cooking don’t stick to the bottom. PTFE is also used in waterproof shoes and clothing, so thank fluorine the next time a raincoat keeps you dry.

Fluorine is desperate to react with everything, so it’s not picky when it comes to its chemical partners. Even things that typically don’t burn will burst into flames with a little fluorine. Blow some fluorine onto glass and it'll burn like a piece of firewood.

Fluorine has a bad reputation because of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons). CFCs were used in aerosol sprays, packing material (foam), and refrigerants before it was revealed that they release tons of chlorine and destroy the ozone layer. Now the use of CFCs is illegal, but the damage to the ozone layer has already been done. (Note: The ozone layer protects the inhabitants of Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation. So yeah, it’s pretty important.)

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Lithium: Power Everything (and Control Mood Swings)

Atomic number: 3 Atomic weight: 6.941 amu Classification: Alkali Metal

This is the very first metal you’ll encounter on the periodic table (the two previous elements, hydrogen and helium, are gases). Despite being a metal, lithium is so light that if you cut off a small piece and gently place it on water, it will float. The only other metal light enough to pull this off is sodium.

Lithium, like all of the alkali metals, is very reactive. However, it can form compounds that are useful in everyday life. The most well-known application of lithium would be lithium-ion batteries (the lithium is in the positive half of the battery). These batteries are everywhere; your laptop, your car, even your pacemaker (if you have one). The reason lithium-ion batteries are so popular is that they store a ton of power despite being very light. As electric cars become increasingly popular, so will lithium-ion batteries.

If you have bipolar disorder, you will be prescribed lithium carbonate pills to rein in your mood swings (although it remains a mystery why lithium is so good at soothing emotional instability).