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SilviaAlbillos
New Contributor

Re: What do you think the coolest element is?

Hmmmm, the coolest is Osmium because is the densest of all. It is interestingly used in alloys to convey extreme hardness and durability to these alloys.

But above all, why I love it is because you can tell people a freaky joke, whenever someone is a pain in the neck or as we say in Spanish "muy pesado", you can always tell them: Osmium compared to you is like a noble gas!

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scerri
New Contributor III

Re: What do you think the coolest element is?

I will reply by saying that the coolest thing about all the elements is that they are related by the periodic law.  Even cooler, this law shows increasingly long sequences before the elements repeat approximately.  Then there is the curious feature that all period lengths are repeated, apart from the very first short period of two elements.  How cool is that?  In addition the order of filling governed by the n + l or madelung rule has still not been strictly derived from quantum mechanics.

Eric Scerri, A Very Short Introduction to the Periodic Table, Oxford University Press, 2011. http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Chemistry/?view=usa&ci=9780199582495

Eric Scerri, The Periodic Table, Its Story and Its Significance, Oxford University Press, 2007. http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Chemistry/?view=usa&ci=9780195305739

UCLA faculty website: http://faculty.chemistry.ucla.edu/institution/personnel?personnel_id=294334

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jerempearson
New Contributor

Re: What do you think the coolest element is?

I'd love to pull the melting spoon trick on someone but haven't gotten around to buying it on ebay or making my own.  I'll do it soon!

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radobozov
New Contributor III

Re: What do you think the coolest element is?

Dear Eric,

I think you've placeed a misconception of connectivity between quantum number development and the foundation of quantum mechanics by the simplest equation denoting energy as a function of frequency times wavelength. Matter was measured relative to carbon and because Einstein correlated matter and energy it was assumed that matter is quantized as is energy. This is where particle/wave duality emerged from after battling for many decades. In reality quantum chemical model was pushed due quantization of electrons space occupancy relative to nucleus (strong force) and because it was predicted that in very small space large energy can exist, it is logical to expand quantization as one expanded outwards from protons, thus further electrons would have less energetic state, thus get exited easier (posses higher wavelenght) upon interference. That is called the outter shell rule and any  second year good organic chemistry college student knows it. Now, filling up orbitals is strictly quantized in terms of rules and principles, thus one cannot state that n + l, is not quantum mechanicly derived. It was all relative to carbon, and big strugle in valance theory was how carbon's electron consideration within carbon dioxide is fitting teh configuration within methane. Therefore, for hybridization of electron density to happen, one needed to fit a theory in quantum sense by using definite space jump of e-  from 2s to 2pz, thus obeying the rule of discrete quantum states.  Chemistry' rules are purely derived upon physical principles and mechanical states observable. Now I don't really want to get further into this issue, but in accordance to quantum numbers derivation the periodicity and increase of l as n increases denotes that l increases as ml is really what gives relationship between n and l. Quantum numbers are a basic, not a general subjectivity. However, derived from the general law of quantum mechanics and direct dependency of electron wave like property and space/energy like properties. The general law that energy comes in packages applies to full extend to quantum chemistry and there is no question about its validity. Yet the two sides of equation where Heisenberg and Srodinger stand is still aiming towards principle that reduces complexity of quantum qorld.  Quantum mechanics evolved upon development of principles and aiming towards understanding time as an indepndent dimenssion of space. This is why Hiesenberg' matrix was indtroduced in molecular mechanics to transform Shrodinger potential and furter convert it to path inegral of Feynman. The problem is that if you followed on quantum chemical mechanics, although the path can take as many forms as one can imagine/compute (derived by resonance) ( thus probabilistic view applies), in reality it choses one at the time, thus time exist in many forms as well, and it cannot be taken indepndent, because if there were no time, there will be no interference and quantum numbers unify interference through spin and quantized space with time. Time can be cought on expanded space, not that large to factor out photton spped though - but who knows! I hope this post is valuable to foresee the larger movie in work- the problem of how to define time within matter interfering systems. I say principle of matter compresibility works to tranform integral path into particle/strings/waves interference. After all the first half of 20th century was pretty intense, wasn't it?     

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scerri
New Contributor III

Re: What do you think the coolest element is?

Dear Radoslav,

Thank you for responding to my posting but I am afraid this is completely incomprehensible and I suspect not just to me personally.  You have launched on a rant which seems to take issue with modern physics and are under the illusion that quantum mechanics is somehow founded on the properties of one element, carbon.  You do not quote one single references in the course of your rant.  This therefore has all the signs of somebody who is completely out on a limb.  It is too bad that you have managed to infiltrate this more serious forum.

Eric Scerri PhD

A Very Short Introduction to the Periodic Table, Oxford University Press, 2011, http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Chemistry/?view=usa&ci=9780199582495

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basso
New Contributor

Re: What do you think the coolest element is?

I have to go with C, which is the basis of millions of different compounds, with all kinds of properties.  It goes from coal, essentially pure C, to long, long polymers, and all kinds of interesting structures.  C is cool.

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sanazhariri
New Contributor

Re: What do you think the coolest element is?

hi I think that it is , helium.

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scerri
New Contributor III

Re: What do you think the coolest element is?

One very cool element, and not very well known is number 72, hafnium. 

It was the subject of an enormous and bitter priority dispute between the French chemist, Urbain, and two scientists working in Bohr's Institute, Hevesy and Coster.  In addition to these actors may others took sides, much of it driven by blatant nationalism.  The British supported the French just because they had been allies in WWI.  The Teutonic scientists were seen as the opposition.  The Copenhageners won the day but not before much acrimony took place.

Eric Scerri, A Very Short Introduction to the Periodic Table, Oxford University Press, 2011, http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Chemistry/?view=usa&ci=9780199582495

Eric Scerri, The Periodic Table, Its Story and Its Significance, Oxford University Press, 2007. http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Chemistry/?view=usa&ci=9780195305739

UCLA faculty website: http://faculty.chemistry.ucla.edu/institution/personnel?personnel_id=294334

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hinterauer
New Contributor II

Re: What do you think the coolest element is?

I think Hydrogen is the coolest element because it is:  "The the number one" in the periodic system, and will be the number one as "corpuscular energy-carrier". About current knowledge and history use Wiki(pedia).

Yours sincerely,

lorenz.hinterauer@vol.at

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gkassnarayan
New Contributor II

Re: What do you think the coolest element is?

Hi! I think Silicon is the coolest element.

To quote from wikipedia

Measured by mass, silicon makes up 27.7% of the Earth's crust and is the second most abundant element in the crust, with only oxygen having a greater abundance. Silicon is usually found in the form of silicon dioxide, or silica, and other more complex silicate minerals

Silicon is also a principal component of many meteorites, and also is a component of obsidian and tektites, which are natural forms of glass

In zone melting, also called zone refining, the first silicon purification method to be widely used industrially, rods of metallurgical grade silicon are heated to melt at one end. Then, the heater is slowly moved down the length of the rod, keeping a small length of the rod molten as the silicon cools and re-solidifies behind it. Since most impurities tend to remain in the molten region rather than re-solidify, when the process is complete, most of the impurities in the rod will have been moved into the end that was the last to be melted. This end is then cut off and discarded, and the process repeated if a still higher purity is desired.

What a cool element Si !!!!!.