Metals

By Hannah Blackburn-Jones

Metals & the Reactivity Series

Intro

This project is about metals and the reactivity series, and the question to this whole project is based on is “ does a connection or relationship exist between the reactivity of a metal and when it was discovered?” I will be researching up to 6 different metals and analyzing when they were discovered, their properties, and so on to help conclude the big question and come up with a statement supported from my research.

Gold

Properties & UsesGold has a melting point of 1064°C, and a boiling point of 2856°C. The atomic number of gold is Atomic number : 79. Gold is mainly used as jewelry because it does not react with water or oxygen, but usually it alloyed with other metals, like silver because it increases its durability. It also a important metal to be used in cell phones and computers.

Discovery date and Discoverer No one knows specifically who discovered gold and when, as it has been found in old artifacts that were made hundreds of years ago, but some people believe that gold jewelry started in Crete, Egypt around 3000 B.C. Still, it is impossible to know who discovered gold as it is very low on the reactivity series, and can easily be found in its true form in river beds.

Silver

Properties & UsesThe melting point of silver is 961.93°C and the boiling point is 2212°C. The atomic number of silver is : 47. Pure silver has a very white metallic appearance, and slightly harder than gold. Sterling sliver ( which is 92.5% sliver ) is used for silverware and jewelry. Silver is also used in many other things such as dentist tools and batteries.

Discovery date and Discoverer Like gold, no one knows for sure when silver was discovered, but highly after gold was discovered. Silver has had the same power as gold, being used as currency, jewelry, and for religious purposes. Silver was thought to relate to the moon and lunar influence. Since silver is also very low on the reactivity series chart, it is hard to find out who exactly discovered it as it has been around in the world for such a long time.

Lead

Properties & UsesLead’s atomic number is 82. Lead is soft and malleable, and is also counted as a ‘ heavy metal’. Lead has a very light blue color when it has just been cut, but then it tarnishes and the color soon changes to a gray color when exposed to air. Lead is used in building construction, weights and other things.

Discovery date and Discoverer Lead is another metal that is impossible to tell when it was discovered and by who because it has been discovered hundred of years ago. “The oldest artifact that contains lead is dated at 3800 BC. Lead is also mentioned in the second book of the Bible (Exodus 15:10).” http://wanttoknowit.com/who-discovered-lead/.

Aluminum

Properties & Uses

Aluminum’s melting point is 660°C and its boiling point is 2,519°C, and it’s atomic number is 13. It is a very lightweight metal and can withstand heavy pressure. It also has a high corrosion resistance which is why it is used in airplanes, but also as soda cans too.

Discovery date and Discoverer In 1825, at Copenhagen, Denmark a man named Hans Christian Oersted discovered aluminum in impure form. Some people think that he didn’t discover aluminum first because the Greeks and Romans used alum (aluminum sulfate with potassium) in medicine and in dying. But Oersted was the one who isolated it in its impure form and called it aluminum, which would make him the original founder as he was the first one aware of this metal.

Properties & UsesMagnesium has is the lightest of all metals, and very strong. Magnesium alloy has a high resistance against deformation and is less easily made dents than other metal. The metal is used in pyrotechnics, especially in incendiary bombs, signals, and flares, and also used in photographic light bulbs.

Discovery date and Discoverer Sir Davy discovered magnesium in 1808, a metal that is found in just about everything, and the earths crust. Sir Davy used electolysis on a mixture of magnesium oxide and mercucric oxide. His experiment had resulted in that the mercury and magnesium was heated in a glass tube, which drove off the mercury and left pure magnesium

Potassium

Properties & UsesPotassium is extremely reactive, it combines dangerously with oxygen so it is stored to keep it away from air. It reacts violently with water to form potassium hydroxide, releasing hydrogen, which usually ignites. It combines directly with the sulfur, and other nonmetallic elements (except nitrogen). It reacts with many organic compounds. Potassium is responsible for the function of cells, and helps functions your muscles, and responsible for your heart beating.

Discovery date and Discoverer

Potassium was discovered by Sir Humphrey Davy in 1807. This alkali metal was the first metal that was isolated by electrolysis.

ConclusionDoes a connection or relationship exist between the reactivity of a metal and when it was discovered? I think that the answer is very much a yes because the least reactive metals which could be found in their true form, such as gold, were used thousands of years ago, while more reactive metals were discovered through experiments and were only discovered a couple hundred years ago. Although, the reactivity series does relate in a way to when the metals were discovered, it does not relate to when the metal’s exact discovery date.

Conclusion Part 2

For example, Magnesium is highly reactive, but Potassium is even more reactive, but Potassium was discovered one year before Magnesium, and Potassium is at the top of the reactivity series. Also Alumium was not as nearly as reactive as Magnesium or Pottasium, but was discovered in 1825. In conclusion, I think that the reactivity series and the date the metal’s were discovered do have a relationship, but not one that is very accurate or very scientific either.

Bibliographyhttp://geology.com/minerals/gold/uses-of-gold.shtmlhttp://goldprice.org/gold-jewellery/uploaded_images/gold-necklace-793229.jpghttp://www.google.com/search?

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