Top Ten Most Interesting Periodic Table Elements
The periodic table contains 118 elements and not a single one of them is boring.
In fact, they are all so unique that entire books could be written about each and everyone of them. In fact, I have started doing just that and have already created individual books for Aluminum, Copper and Antimony.
This book, Magical Elements of the Periodic Table Presented by the Alchemical Wizards Bk. 1 features adorable wizards sharing information about the element their magical powers are derived from. Each element page is jam packed with illustrations that make you want to read the text beside them.
There’s so much information available about each element that they are a treasure trove for creating memes. I utilize the pictures from my Magical Elements of the Periodic Table series to add some life to the text of the meme. These fun memes are then used for posts in my newsletter and blog as well are for sharing in science and other educational groups on social media. Just look at this one from The Magical Wizards of the Periodic Table Presented by the Alchemical Wizards Bk.
Tellurium - Calaverite, a compound of tellurium and gold, was misidentified as a value-less 'fool's gold' leading to its disposal and use in filling potholes. Once it was realized that gold could - in fact, quite easily - be extracted from the compound, prospectors were literally digging up those streets to get it back.
Can you imagine thinking something was so worthless that it was used as regular dirt, only to find it was in fact, super valuable and you had to go to extreme measures to get it back? That’s one of the reasons I find Tellurium so interesting.
Here’s a list of the rest of my top 10 elements, in no particular order, that I find most interesting.
Casium or Cesium - Caesium atomic clocks are highly accurate timekeeping devices used in GPS satellites and international time standards. A second is how long it takes for a certain amount of radiation to come from caesium-133. That’s why caesium is used in atomic clocks and gadgets like cell phones to keep track of time.
Rhodium - In 1979, the Guinness Book of World Records gave Paul McCartney, of the Beatles, a Rhodium-plated record for being the all-time best-selling songwriter and recording artist. Why Rhodium? Because that reward was made with metal more expensive and rarer than platinum.
Helium - The name comes from the Greek word "helios," which means sun, because helium was first found in the sun's corona. French astronomer, Pierre-Jules-César Janssen, discovered helium way back in 1868 when he was checking out a solar eclipse. The sun pumps out an incredible 700 million tons of helium every second. Helium atoms are super light, which is why they can easily float away from Earth’s gravity.
Silver - American pioneers prevented dysentery, colds and flu by putting silver dollars in milk bottles. It was also thought that babies fed with silver spoons grew up healthier than others.
Erbium - Erbium amplifies broad band signals running through fiber cables. It is also being studied for potential use in quantum computing. There would be no high speed internet without it.
Krypton - By measuring levels of the compound, krypton-85, in the atmosphere over secretive countries like North Korea, researchers can pinpoint locations that might harbor hidden nuclear facilities.
Titanium - Skywriting wasn’t always whimsical. The practice dates back to World War I when pilots used it to communicate with one another and to create smokescreens to hide their movements from the enemy. Don’t confuse contrails, which form as water is expelled from plane’s exhaust pipes, with skywriting that is made of smoke created by titanium dioxide.
Oxygen - 2,500 years ago, the Greeks identified air - along with earth, fire and water - as a fundamental component of the world. Oxygen is vital for life, making up 20.94% of the air we breathe. It is colorless, odorless, and tasteless but essential for supporting life on Earth.
Antimony - In olden times, people used a pill made from Antimony to help with tummy troubles. It made them go to the bathroom. Here’s the yucky part. They would save the pill to use again later. Nowadays, we don’t do that because we now know it’s not clean or good for our health.
Those are my top 10 most interesting elements.
Which element from the periodic table is your favorite?
Presented By The Alchemical Wizards
Book One
Sybrina Durant
Genre: Children’s Science Book
Publisher: Sybrina Publishing
Date of Publication: Nov. 1, 2024
ISBN: 979-8345317112
ASIN : B0DLW662B8
Number of pages: 44
Word Count: About 1000.
Cover Artist: Pranavva
Tagline: No metal, no magic…and no technology.
Book Description:
Kids love magic and the periodic table is full of magical things. Alchemical wizards introduce kids to scientific facts and the magic of the elements.
The Alchemical Wizards, along with their techno-magical unicorn and dragon friends from the first 2 Magical Elements Books are the perfect group to introduce you to metals and other elements in the Periodic Table. Hopefully, the Magical Elements of this periodic table book will spark an interest in the magical and real-world properties of all the metals and other elements known today.
You may be surprised at how prominently they feature in our everyday lives.
Magical Elements of the Periodic Table
Playlist - http://bit.ly/3EVZ258
Sybrina Durant is the author of several educational children’s books including the Learn To Tie With The Rabbit and The Fox series as well as The Magical Elements of the Periodic Table series. Her motto is “capture a child’s interest while they’re young and they will remember the lesson forever”.
Website/Newsletter: https://www.sybrina.com
Bonus Materials: https://www.magicalptelements.com
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